Saturday, June 13
Eugene, OR
All Day
University of Oregon
vs
NCAA Championships
Photo by: GoDucks.com
McCormick Repeats as NCAA Hurdles Champ
06/13/26 | Track and Field
Oregon senior Aaliyah McCormick capped her career with three straight NCAA titles, including Saturday's at Hayward Field.
EUGENE, Ore. — Aaliyah McCormick is riding off into the sunset of her collegiate hurdling career with the NCAA Outdoor Championships crown affixed firmly to her head.
McCormick, the only UO woman to win an NCAA Outdoor title in the 100 hurdles when she did so a year ago, repeated as champion Saturday to close out this year's championship meet at Hayward Field. McCormick closed out her UO career win three straight national titles in the short hurdles, including this year's NCAA Indoor title.
"This is the cherry on top," McCormick said. "I can't even express to you how happy and blissful I am. This was, like, the perfect circumstance."
Two days after a composed performance in the preliminary round, McCormick's ebullient personality burst into view for the Hayward faithful as she crossed the line Saturday. She finished in 12.47 seconds, providing 10 team points toward the UO women's fourth-place finish in the meet with 36 combined points.
"All I could think was, I did it again," McCormick said. "I'm just honored and blessed and grateful."
Like the UO men the day before, Oregon's women had the lead in the team race until tantalizingly late in the day Saturday. Sharifa Davrononva's runner-up finish in the triple jump (14.15m/46-5.25), on the heels of McCormick's win and two scorers each in both the discus and 1,500, gave the Ducks the lead until the final handful of events were scored.
The throwers set the tone in Saturday's first event. Alicia Khunou bounced back from a frustrating showing in the shot put Thursday by placing fourth in the discus (57.44m/188-5) and Marie Josee Bovele Linaka was seventh (56.65/185-10).
"I was really, really in a bad mood about it," Khunou said of Thursday's shot put, in which she was 24th in a 24-woman field. "So I had to reset and refocus. … My mindset was a little different. Shot I was so pressed with PRs and stuff like this. Here I was like, just throw what got you here, and whatever happens happens."
Two more Ducks scored in the 1,500, with Juliet Cherubet taking third in 4:12.99 and Wilma Nielsen finishing fourth in 4:13.40. Nielsen ran off the shoulder of leader and eventual winner Rosemary Longisa of Washington State much of the race, cutting through windy conditions for the benefit of the pack, though not her own finish.
"When I saw the wind before the race, I kind of assumed this was gonna be a sit-and-kick race," said Nielsen, two-time NCAA Indoor champ in the mile. "I didn't want to lead it like that, next to Rosemary, because it was very windy, and it's really hot. … I didn't feel great today. I didn't really have the kick I usually have, which was sad."
McCormick was Oregon's next runner on the track. She said after Thursday's prelims that a goal Saturday was for a better start, which she got. Still, Kentucky's Emmi Scales was running stride for stride with McCormick until the last hurdle, which McCormick got to a split second earlier and which Scales clipped, sending her tumbling over the finish line in second.
"I was just telling myself to just make sure I get out, and I feel like I did have a great start," McCormick said.
"But you know, my bottom end of the race wasn't as good as I would have hoped it to be. Emmi being right next to me just pushed me even more to get to the finish line faster."
She did hit it faster. The hurdles crown she won in 2025 will stay affixed to McCormick's head for another year, and stay there in the minds of Oregon's fans for all time.
McCormick, the only UO woman to win an NCAA Outdoor title in the 100 hurdles when she did so a year ago, repeated as champion Saturday to close out this year's championship meet at Hayward Field. McCormick closed out her UO career win three straight national titles in the short hurdles, including this year's NCAA Indoor title.
"This is the cherry on top," McCormick said. "I can't even express to you how happy and blissful I am. This was, like, the perfect circumstance."
Two days after a composed performance in the preliminary round, McCormick's ebullient personality burst into view for the Hayward faithful as she crossed the line Saturday. She finished in 12.47 seconds, providing 10 team points toward the UO women's fourth-place finish in the meet with 36 combined points.
"All I could think was, I did it again," McCormick said. "I'm just honored and blessed and grateful."
Like the UO men the day before, Oregon's women had the lead in the team race until tantalizingly late in the day Saturday. Sharifa Davrononva's runner-up finish in the triple jump (14.15m/46-5.25), on the heels of McCormick's win and two scorers each in both the discus and 1,500, gave the Ducks the lead until the final handful of events were scored.
The throwers set the tone in Saturday's first event. Alicia Khunou bounced back from a frustrating showing in the shot put Thursday by placing fourth in the discus (57.44m/188-5) and Marie Josee Bovele Linaka was seventh (56.65/185-10).
"I was really, really in a bad mood about it," Khunou said of Thursday's shot put, in which she was 24th in a 24-woman field. "So I had to reset and refocus. … My mindset was a little different. Shot I was so pressed with PRs and stuff like this. Here I was like, just throw what got you here, and whatever happens happens."
Two more Ducks scored in the 1,500, with Juliet Cherubet taking third in 4:12.99 and Wilma Nielsen finishing fourth in 4:13.40. Nielsen ran off the shoulder of leader and eventual winner Rosemary Longisa of Washington State much of the race, cutting through windy conditions for the benefit of the pack, though not her own finish.
"When I saw the wind before the race, I kind of assumed this was gonna be a sit-and-kick race," said Nielsen, two-time NCAA Indoor champ in the mile. "I didn't want to lead it like that, next to Rosemary, because it was very windy, and it's really hot. … I didn't feel great today. I didn't really have the kick I usually have, which was sad."
McCormick was Oregon's next runner on the track. She said after Thursday's prelims that a goal Saturday was for a better start, which she got. Still, Kentucky's Emmi Scales was running stride for stride with McCormick until the last hurdle, which McCormick got to a split second earlier and which Scales clipped, sending her tumbling over the finish line in second.
"I was just telling myself to just make sure I get out, and I feel like I did have a great start," McCormick said.
"But you know, my bottom end of the race wasn't as good as I would have hoped it to be. Emmi being right next to me just pushed me even more to get to the finish line faster."
She did hit it faster. The hurdles crown she won in 2025 will stay affixed to McCormick's head for another year, and stay there in the minds of Oregon's fans for all time.
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