2025 D3 Outdoor Nationals Recap
National records, the winningest men’s athlete in D3 history, upsets, breakthroughs, close finishes, you name it. The 2025 NCAA D3 Outdoor National Championship had a little bit of everything, and, despite the cold and rainy weather for May, made for an unforgettable weekend at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Here’s a look back at some of the top moments.
Four national records fall
Is it really a D3 national meet if no national records are set? This year, four national records fell, three women’s records and one men’s record, raising the bar for what it means to be a top D3 athlete.
Women’s Shot Put
The legacy of MIT’s Alexis Boykin drew to a close last weekend, and she certainly ended it on a high note. Though she likely had the goal of winning all of her three throwing events, Boykin is not lacking in national titles (she now has eight). What she had yet to cross off in her D3 career, however, was setting a national record.
After narrowly missing the legendary Robyn Jarocki’s national weight throw record indoors by a mere seven centimeters, Boykin simply could not finish her career without a record to her name. As such, Boykin rose to the occasion in Friday’s shot put competition, breaking the national record on her third attempt. Now, she would be on the right side of the centimeter gap, her 16.80-meter toss passing Jarocki’s from 2006 by three centimeters.
Alexis Boykin, your new women’s shot put national record holder.
Women’s 4x100m relay
When Lauren Jarrett graduates next year, expect a full page in the 2026 Outdoor Nationals Recap article dedicated to her. For now, though, we are going to relish the fact that D3 gets to celebrate her for one more year. Her 2025 outdoor championships was as her most recent previous national meets have been: absolutely dominant. With commanding national titles in the 100m and 200m dashes, it only made sense for her to add the 4x100m relay to the list.
In teaming up with fellow Eagle sprint stars Julie Yeng, Anika Reiland, and Makenna Zak, Jarrett anchored the relay squad home to a massive new D3 national record. In fact, four teams ran under the previous record of 45.60. La Crosse’s 45.20-second victory averages 11.3-second legs. Man, would we have loved to see a split on Jarrett at the end when she went from fifth to first!
Women’s 100mH
With the season UMass Boston’s Aryianna Garceau has had, D3GD was on record watch in the women’s 100m hurdles. Following her indoor 60m hurdle victory, the junior set two consecutive PRs in the 100m hurdles before she ran a slightly wind-illegal 13.53 (+2.3 m/s) at the NEICAAA Championships just before nationals. All we needed in Geneva was a cooperative wind.
Garceau did not disappoint. As the gun went off, she rocketed toward the front, taking the lead with half of the race still to go. By the final hurdles, she was strides ahead of the field, crossing the finish line to win her first outdoor title. The time? 13.54. The wind reading? +1.0m/s. Aryianna Garceau not only is a two-time national champion, but she’s now the women’s 100m hurdles national record holder.
Men’s 4x400m relay
If there’s anything we know with certainty about the Bethel boys, it’s that they love the 4x400m relay. They’d trade anything, even an individual national title, to bring home relay gold. Led and inspired by the greatest D3 400m runner to ever do it, Andrew Rock, and with momentum behind them from Grant Nelson’s earlier open 400m title, the Royals were ready to drop something special in the final event of the meet.
Jacob Parent, who was fourth in the open 400m earlier in the day, got the Royals off to a hot start in which they exchanged the baton in first place. Second runner Josh Thomsen ran a patient leg, allowing UWL’s second runner to pass and do some of the work before charging to the front just before the exchange zone. Bethel’s Victor Lelinga rocketed to the front and never relinquished his lead, handing off to anchor Nelson in first place.
As an anchor leg, nothing makes you giddy like your teammates handing off to you with a lead. Though the open 400m came down to the thousandths of a second, the rematch between Nelson and UWL’s Collin Conzemius was not so close this time. Nelson closed the final relay lap in 45.34, bringing the Royals home to victory and a huge new national record of 3:06.52.
An ode to Sam Blaskowski
14 national titles and three national records to his name
D3 national meets without him simply will not be the same
They call him Sam “The Blast” Blaskowski on the mic
Catch him in those split shorts wearing someone else’s spikes
Eleven individual titles makes him the winningest D3 man in history
When you see those quads, why really is no mystery
We’ll keep that wind reading secret when he ran 9.99
With the gains he’s making, sub-10 is just a matter of time
Ran his last D3 race in 2025
D3GD salutes you, Sam, the fastest man alive
Goofy poems aside, UWL’s Sam Blaskowski has had one heck of a D3 career. His 200-meter victory on Saturday brings his individual title count up to 11, the most of any men’s athlete in D3 history. He won the 100m dash all four years, making him the sixth men’s athlete in D3 history to win the same track and field event four years in a row. He joins Lincoln’s Chaz Clemons as one of the only two athletes in history to win four straight 100m dash titles.
Blaskowski graduates with three national records—the men’s 60m dash, the men’s 100m dash, and the men’s 4x100m relay—all marks that may take an entire decade to see taken down. He also ran an all-conditions best 9.99 in the men’s 100m dash, making him the only athlete in D3 history to dip under 10 seconds in the 100m dash.
Blaskowski told D3GD in an interview that he’s in conversations with coaches about continuing his career professionally and we can’t wait to see how he develops after his incredible career in D3.
Thanks for all the interviews, Sam. D3 is going to miss cheering for you!
New champions crowned
Just as one dynasty ends, another peaks up through the soil, ready to start its own empire. Last weekend saw 18 new individual event champions and one new relay team champion in MIT women’s 4x400, who won the first 4x400 relay in program history.
In some cases, individuals won titles that marked the icing on top of storied seasons, the perfect validation of their marinating rises to success. Lynchburg duo Tor Hotung-Davidsen and Chasen Hunt each won their first individual titles after Hunt broke the men’s outdoor 5k national record and Hotung-Davidsen broke the monumental 4-minute mile barrier. Nathan Borgen threw the fourth farthest men’s hammer throw mark in D3 history and was finally rewarded with a national title. Rowan’s Jamir Brown broke the indoor and outdoor national records in the high hurdles and finally came away with a national title after coming just short indoors.
For others, this week was somewhat of a revenge tour. National record holder Ren Brown narrowly missed last year’s 400m hurdle title and made it her mission not to leave Geneva with the same outcome. Geneseo’s Penelope Greene channeled a runner-up finish indoors and two consecutive third place finishes in cross country into not one but two outdoor national titles.
Others still saw victories in the midst of somewhat significant upsets. Wartburg’s Emma True won the women’s hammer throw over defending champion Alexis Boykin. Emory’s Eva Carchidi came in as the fifth seed in the women’s 400m having never run under 54 seconds, and finished the weekend posting two sub-54 marks, one of which was the only sub-54 in the final to win the title over two athletes with 53-second PBs. Though Dickinson’s Trevor Richwine came in as the No. 1 seed in the men’s 800m, many looked to three-time national champion Cael Schoemann to secure the crown again, but the No. 1 seed Richwine proved his dominance.
For the majority of individuals (or perhaps all) winning their first national titles last week, it was just simply their time to step into the spotlight.
11 men’s athletes won first-time individual titles:
Grant Nelson (Bethel) - Men’s 400m
Trevor Richwine (Dickinson) - Men’s 800m
Tor Hotung-Davidsen (Lynchburg) - Men’s 1500m
Chasen Hunt (Lynchburg) - Men’s 5k
Jamir Brown (Rowan) - Men’s 110m Hurdles
Levi Biery (Colby) - Men’s 400m Hurdles
Joey Sullivan (UWL) - Men’s Steeplechase
Matayo McGraw (Widener) - Men’s Triple Jump
Nathan Borgen (Wilmington) - Men’s Hammer
Scott Sloan (Wheaton) - Men’s Javelin
Charlie Nolan (UWO) - Men’s Decathlon
7 women’s athletes won first-time individual titles:
Eva Carchidi (Emory) - Women’s 400m
Penelope Greene (SUNY Geneseo) - Women’s 10k/5k
Ren Brown (UChicago) - Women’s 400m Hurdles
Sophie Bull (Calvin) - Women’s Steeplechase
Imani Ogunribido (Illinois Wesleyan) - Women’s Triple Jump
Emma True (Wartburg) - Women’s Hammer
Avery Decker (Nebraska Wesleyan) - Women’s Javelin
Nail biters
Men’s 400m
The men’s 400m dash was the closest final on the track, the winner determined in the final 20 meters of the race and by a thousandth of a second. John Carroll’s Basheer Almarahi held the lead heading into the final 100m when Bethel duo Grant Nelson and Jacob Parent began to gain. Waiting quietly in the wings was also UWL’s Collin Conzemius, who sat right on Nelson’s shoulder as he stormed up the homestretch into the lead. Nelson appeared to be away free, but an incredible finish and hard lean by Conzemius made the race too close to call.
The field anxiously awaited results, and it was Nelson who would become the 2025 Outdoor Champion by 0.002 of a second over Conzemius. Though Bethel has repeatedly asserted that a 4x400m relay title means more to them than an individual title, with this run, Nelson asked, “¿Por qué no los dos?”
Women’s 800m
With historical depth in the women’s 800, we knew this was going to be a close race. We weren’t necessarily prepared for it to be two-hundredths-of-a-second close, however. No. 2 seed Megan Bell of Rochester started lap one on a mission. She took the lead at 200m into the race and crossed through 400m in 60 seconds, the rest of the field a second behind.
While Bell employed the up-front-and-out-of-trouble strategy, Elizabethtown’s Kelty Oaster played a game of sit-and-kick. Coming into one lap to go, the indoor national champion made a smooth move from seventh to second, setting her sights on Bell at 350m to go. She was on Bell’s shoulder with 200m to go, but the Rochester star, sensing the threat, held her lead.
Bell began a hard kick in the final 100m, seemingly taking Oaster by surprise as she began to fall off of Bell’s shoulder momentarily. With 50m to go, Oaster regained her momentum and the two ran stride-for-stride down the homestretch. As the pair lunged for the finish, it was Oaster who had just enough left to snag the title. The battle for first pushed both athletes to the No. 6 and No. 7 fastest women’s 800m performances in D3 history.
Men’s PV
Those who ventured indoors from the cold and rain were not only treated to respite from the elements but an edge-of-your-seat battle in the men’s pole vault that came down to a jump off to determine the winner. WashU’s Tommaso Maiocco and St. Norbert’s Aiden Anderson both came in at opening height and both were completely clean for seven straight bars. Both fouled out at 5.20 meters, meaning a tie for national champion.
Indoor champion and eventual outdoor victor Aiden Anderson told D3 Glory Days in an interview that he did not consider sharing the title. Instead, he and Maiocco battled over four additional bars in a jump-off to determine the winner. After both missed single attempts at 5.20m and 5.15m and then cleared their attempts over 5.10m, the duo’s third look of the day at 5.15m would be the determining jump. Maiocco miss, Anderson clear. The champion was finally crowned after three hours of competition.
Men’s Triple Jump
When Montclair State freshman Hiven Biffot opened up flight two of the men’s triple jump with a near-personal best 15.32 meters, it was clear the men’s triple jump competition was going to be a battle. In the final, previous champions Cole Goodman of Rochester and Amarian Hughes of Cortland State got close (but not close enough) to Biffot’s initial and farthest jump in their last two attempts, and the rookie inched closer and closer to a national title.
Enter: Widener’s Matayo McGraw. The three-time All-American was tied for the second farthest jump in the prelims, a jump he bettered on attempt five, clearing 15.28 meters, and was therefore the only remaining threat to Biffot’s crown. As he took his final hop, skip, and jump of the competition, the officials would call out his mark: 15.32 meters, exactly what Biffot had jumped in the prelim.
In order to break the tie, Biffot would have to use his final jump to best McGraw’s second farthest jump in his series, his fifth attempt of 15.28 meters. Biffot gave it his best, posting his fourth mark above 15 meters at 15.02m, but it was not quite enough to catch McGraw, who walked away the 2025 National Champion.
Women’s Triple Jump
Women’s triple jump saw an exciting three lead changes between standouts Imani Ogunribido and Ebunoluwa Opata over the course of the competition, making this one of the most exciting events on the field.
Illinois Wesleyan’s Ogunribido saved the best for last. She opened up her series with a leading mark of 12.65 meters to pass favorite Opata of WashU for the lead. Opata responded in her second attempt, clearing 12.87 meters (+2.3m/s) to regain the lead, which she held for the remainder of the prelim and until the last jump in the final. That’s when Ogunribido nailed a big one. Her 12.96-meter (+4.4m/s) jump moved her into the lead. Opata’s last jump was the second farthest in her series, but it was not enough to catch Ogunribido, who won her first national title.
The pair faced windy conditions, but pushed each other to the third and fourth farthest leaps in D3 history under all-conditions.
Rookie successes
There were an impressive 28 individual first-team All-American honors that went to freshmen last weekend. 13 women’s and 15 men’s honors were awarded, including two national champions. Rowan’s Jamir Brown and Wheaton (Mass.)’s Scott Sloan won national titles in the men’s 110m hurdles and javelin, respectively.
Sloan took down a veteran field of javelin throwers, including defending champ Cody Wheeler of Whitworth, and top-two seeds Liam Bourassa and Corey Stalters. Sloan was a standout javelin thrower in high school for The Wheeler School in Barrington, Rhode Island. In his last competition in high school, he won New Balance Nationals with a PR throw of 206 feet 6 inches. Last weekend, he won D3 nationals with a toss of 223 feet, a full 16 and a half feet farther than he was throwing a year ago. The future looks bright for Scott Sloan!
If there was a D3GD Rookie of the Year award, it would have to go to Jamir Brown. In his short career in D3, he shattered both high hurdles records, took runner-up in the 60m hurdles indoors, and, this past weekend, finally won his national title. Next year, he will be taking his talents up the ranks to D1 at Syracuse, but his name will live on for a long time to come in the D3 record books.
There were several other freshmen with impressive performances last weekend. JCU’s Dakota Houston was the only freshman to earn All-American in two events. She was fourth in the women’s 100m dash final and sixth in the 200m dash final. Montclair State’s Hiven Biffot and Goucher’s Aryanna Paulena were the only two freshmen to receive runner-up in the men’s triple jump and women’s pole vault, respectively. Hamilton’s Keira Rogan was the only athlete on either side to earn All-American in a distance event with her third place finish in the women’s steeplechase.
With these successes, each of these athletes has an opportunity none of their other peers do: the opportunity to earn first-team All-American four years in a row. For many of the seasoned veteran athletes who graduated from D3 after last weekend with extensive resumes, an All-American honor their freshman year served as a humble beginning.
Two triple crowns
For the first time in history, the outdoor national meet ended awarding triple crowns to a program on both the men’s and the women’s side. MIT women won their first outdoor title in program history, and their triple victory of cross country, indoor, and outdoor marked the first women’s triple crown in history.
UW-La Crosse men won their fourth triple crown in program history and their first since 2005-06. A look at their team titles reveals a simple pattern: every time UWL has won a national title in cross country, they’ve won a triple crown. Strong distance runners were certainly key contributors for both programs this past weekend, but both programs also bring forth a well-rounded roster of athletes, which is ultimately what wins national titles.
It was quite a memorable three days at the SPIRE Institute last weekend for all who made the trip to the 2025 Outdoor National Championships. Thank you as always for bringing D3GD along for the ride.