The road to the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships is reaching its final stretch, as the nation’s top collegiate athletes converge on regional sites for the all-important first round of competition. This year marks the 103rd edition of the men’s championship and the 43rd for the women — a legacy-rich showdown set to culminate at the iconic Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene.
While the West First Round is proceeding as planned at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, major changes have shaken up the East First Round originally scheduled at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. But in a move that has raised eyebrows across the track community, organizers have dramatically altered the event schedule: track events will now begin at 10:00 p.m., starting with the 110m hurdles for both men and women. The most shocking shift? The men’s and women’s 10,000-meter semifinals are now slated to begin at 12:55 a.m., pushing athletes to compete deep into the night — a stark contrast to the original 9:10 p.m. slot.
That means distance runners, known for their mental toughness and endurance, will now be racing under stadium lights in the dead of night — a test not just of physical strength, but of circadian rhythm and grit.
UPDATED SCHEDULE
East First Round updated schedule due to weather. #NCAATF https://t.co/Q5DmhEgDFY pic.twitter.com/2AxXPPRgA1
— NCAA Track & Field (@NCAATrackField) May 29, 2025
The report is developing…
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