The University of Oregon women’s track and field team won two national titles on March 13 at the 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Liisa-Maria Lusti secured a victory in the pentathlon, while the relay team of Juliet Cherubet, Lakely Doht-Barron, Silan Ayyildiz, and Wilma Nielsen claimed gold in the distance medley relay.
These wins placed the Oregon women in second place overall after day one with 20 points and five more scoring opportunities remaining for Saturday. The men’s team earned two points from their performance in the distance medley relay and will have eleven chances to score on day two.
Lusti finished her five-event competition with a season-best total of 4,498 points, tying her for fifteenth among collegiate performers historically. She moved into first place after achieving a personal best long jump of 6.63 meters (21-9), which is also third-best all-time for an indoor collegiate pentathlon. Lusti became only the second woman from Oregon to win an NCAA pentathlon title, following Brianne Theisen-Eaton’s win in 2012.
In the women’s distance medley relay, Cherubet started off before handing over to Doht-Barron for the 400-meter segment. Ayyildiz and Nielsen completed the race on the final legs, with Nielsen pulling away during the last lap to secure victory over South Carolina. This marks Oregon’s third NCAA title in this event.
On the men’s side, Peyton Bair led after day one of the heptathlon with 3,675 points. He set new meet and NCAA records in the heptathlon 60 meters with a time of 6.67 seconds and achieved personal bests in both long jump (7.70 meters) and shot put (16.07 meters). Aiden Carter was tenth overall after day one of his first NCAA Championships appearance.
Other notable performances included Tomas Palfrey qualifying for finals in both mile and 3,000-meter events; James Harding advancing to Saturday’s final in the men’s 800 meters; and Aaliyah McCormick tying for fastest time out of heats in women’s hurdles as she reached her fourth consecutive NCAA Indoor final.
The championships continue Saturday with additional finals scheduled throughout the afternoon.
