Simeon Birnbaum Leads Ducks Into Weekend Looking To Secure Big Ten Triple Crown; USC's Path To Women's Title Depends On Sprints As Nebraska And Oregon Close In

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

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BIG TEN INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS

Newly minted NCAA 1,500 meters record holder Simeon Birnbaum continued to show how far as he come in his junior year at Oregon last week at the Twilight meet when he ran 1:44.67 to outkick a pair of teammates in the 800 meters.

An Oregon team that expected to contend for the NCAA Championship with the off-season additions of world record holder Mykolas Alekna and NCAA decathlon champion Peyton Bair might not have either one of them competing this spring, but it hasn't stopped the Ducks from showing dominance this spring. 

Oregon may not be a clear NCAA favorite, but it is poised to score a lot of points this weekend when the Big Ten Outdoor Championships convene at the University of Nebraska's new track complex in Lincoln. 

WATCH THE BIG TEN OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS WEEKEND ON RUNNERSPACE+

The Oregon men are primed to score as many as 70 points in three events: the 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000. And the final team total could reach 150. 

And that's without Alekna, a former Cal discus thower who suffered an injury when he got on campus and required surgery on his pectoral muscle in March. Bair, who won the NCAA heptathlon title and last year's decathlon, hasn't competed this spring. 

Coach Jerry Schumacher said last Friday that he still wasn't sure whether Bair would compete or redshirt. 

"At this point, still undecided," Schumacher said. "We'll have to make that determination, but leaning more and more towards (redshirting), but still undecided." (Edit: Bair is not among this week's entries).

Oregon is projected to score in 14 of 21 events with potential wins in the 110 hurdles with Kai Graves-Blanks, the shot put with Benjamin Smith, the 3,000-meter steeplechase with Benjamin Balasz and any number of combinations in the longer distance events where Evan Bishop, Evan Burke and Luke Tewalt are factors. Birnbaum is the defending champion in the 5,000. 

The conference as a whole is loaded with talent. Big Ten athletes are ranked first or second nationally in 10 events. 

USC's Eddie Nketia and Garrett Kaalund are both currently ranked second in the 100 meters and 200 meters, respectively. 

Nebraska's Keyshawn Strachan is ranked second in the javelin, James Rhoads from Washington is No. 2 in the pole vault, Sincere Robinson of Rutgers is No. 2 in the long jump, Ryan Johnson of Iowa is No. 2 in the hammer and Illinois' Jip de Greef is the current national leader in the decathlon. 

Oregon's Smith is also ranked No. 2 in the NCAA in the shot put and that's an event that is especially deep this weekend in Lincoln. Five of the top 10 throwers in Division 1 are Big Ten athletes. 

A matchup between Birnbaum and Michigan's Trent McFarland in the 1,500 meters could become one of the must-watch events of the weekend. Birnbaum is the all-time NCAA leader with his 3:31.69, but McFarland has won the past two Big Ten indoor miles and owns a personal best from this spring of 3:33.17. 

USC, with its sprinters and conference leader Broderick Racquil in the discus, leads the chase pack of schools in the team race, along with Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska. Washington, Rutgers and Penn State are in the next tier. 

The women's conference meet, which is no less elite and funded by more scholarship money, is also loaded with talent. 

There are five NCAA leaders available this weekend in Lincoln. Nebraska's Axelina Johansson is the NCAA's dominant shot-putter and returning to the outdoor season for the first time since 2024. Washington's Hana Moll has been the NCAA's best pole vaulter this year. Minnesota's Anthonett Nabwe is No. 1 hammer thrower in the NCAA. Washington's Sofia Cosculluela is No. 1 in the heptathlon, although may be doing individual events only this weekend. 

And the USC women are ranked first in the women's 4x100 relay. 

It's USC's sprint corps that is central to the Trojans' plan to hold onto the Big Ten outdoor title and prevent Oregon from sweeping every team title, men and women, across the cross country, indoor and outdoor seasons. 

In order to do it, USC may need to pull as many as 70 points out of three events: the 100, the 200 and the 400. 

Madison Whyte is ranked second in the NCAA in the 400 meters and is an overwhelming favorite there. She won the 200 and the 400 at the Big Ten Conference meet last year in Eugene. 

Teammates Dejaz Defrand, Brianna Selby, Rachel Uvieghara and Christine Mallard give the Trojans overpowering strength in the sprints. 

Johansson leads the local Nebraska effort to break through and win the conference title on its home track. 

The Cornhuskers have the firepower to compete with USC for the title, with potential conference champions Rhianna Phipps in the triple jump, Karsyn Leeling in the high jump, Jana Lowka in the javelin and Kelsie Belquist in the 400-meter hurdles. Mid-distance runner Berlyn Schutz is also a key player for Nebraska's title chances.

Oregon is in it as well. Silan Ayyilidiz was extraordinary at the Big Ten Indoor meet, where she won the mile and 5,000 and finished second in the 3,000. She hasn't put her best races together so far this spring but she is dangerous and right in the middle of the Ducks' effort to sweep the Triple Crown. 

NCAA indoor champions Liisa-Maria Lusti (heptathlon) and Aaliyah McCormick (60 hurdles) have competed sparingly this spring, but could rise up again at any point and tip the scale in the Ducks' favor. 

Oregon is also set to debut Sharifa Davronova, a recent addition to the roster from Uzbekistan who is a two-time World U20 champion in the triple jump. 

For the first time, 18 schools will be represented in the outdoor championships. Northwestern is fielding a women's team in 2026 and the Wildcats have some scoring potential with Cary Drake in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and Ava Criniti in the 10,000. 

It will be the first Big Ten Outdoor meet to include Northwestern since 1988 when the program was halted after four straight years of finishing last in the conference meet.