Wednesday, June 11
Eugene, Ore.
4:30 PM ET/1:30 PM PT
Liberty University
at
NCAA Division I Outdoor Track Championships
(L-R): Paola Bueno, Allie Zealand, Kellen Kimes
Bueno, Kimes, Zealand Set for NCAA Championship
6/8/2025 12:30:00 PM | Track and Field
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Liberty trio of Paola Bueno (women's hammer), Kellen Kimes (men's hammer) and Allie Zealand (women's 1,500) is set to compete in the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Wednesday through Saturday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
This is the 10th consecutive season Liberty has been represented at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships and the seventh straight year a Flames thrower has qualified.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
Zealand's 1,500 races will air live on ESPN on Thursday (semifinals) and on ESPN2 Saturday (final).
Live video streaming coverage of all field events will air on ESPN+, with a dedicated stream set up for each event.
Live results, including lap-by-lap splits and in-progress field event updates, will be provided by Flash Results.
Weather Report
High temperatures are expected to range from 70 to 80 degrees during the four days of competition in Eugene with Wednesday expected to be the hottest day. Rain chances are low for the duration of the championship.
NCAA Championship Event Capsules (Organized Chronologically)
Men's Hammer
Event Schedule: Final – Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern
Liberty Competitor: Kellen Kimes (So., Ludington, Mich.)
How He Got Here: After placing 44th at the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet as a freshman in 2024, Kimes broke through for an 11th-place finish this time around. His 213-4 effort in the second round in Jacksonville was sufficient to make Kimes the first Liberty sophomore men's hammer thrower ever to reach the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Kimes' sophomore campaign included personal-best efforts at back-to-back meets in April (216-3 at the Florida Relays and 219-5 at the Pacific Coast Invitational). He also finished as the CUSA men's hammer runner-up, moving up one position from 2024.
Kimes will enter his NCAA national meet debut with the 20th longest personal best (219-5) among the 24 competitors. Kimes is one of six underclassmen who will throw the hammer in Eugene, including a group of five sophomores. A sophomore (Minnesota's Angelos Mantzouranis) enters as the top seed at 257-11.
How the Event Will Progress in Eugene: The 24 hammer throwers in Eugene will be divided into two flights, with Kimes throwing in the first (lower-seeded) flight. After all 24 athletes have taken three throws, the top nine competitors will earn three more attempts.
The top eight finishers will score team points and become first team All-Americans, with the next eight garnering second team All-America accolades.
Last season, eighth place measured 234-4 and 16th place reached 222-1.
What's at Stake: A top-16 placement would make Kimes Liberty's first NCAA Division I All-American in the men's hammer.
Liberty's best-ever NCAA Division I national finish in the men's hammer is 18th place by Jon Hart in 2007 and John Hicks in 2024.
Hart has owned the Liberty record at 222-4 since winning the IC4A title on May 17, 2008 in Princeton, N.J.
Women's Hammer
Event Schedule: Final – Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern
Liberty Competitor: Paola Bueno (Jr., Nayarit, Mexico)
How She Got Here: Bueno was impressive during her three-throw series in Jacksonville, breaking her own program record in both round one (214-10) and round three (215-7). As a result, Bueno placed fifth in the competition and became the first Liberty women's hammer thrower ever to qualify for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships multiple times.
After earning second team All-America honors with an 11th-place showing in 2024, Bueno hopes to move up in the standings on Thursday. Her 215-7 effort from Jacksonville ranked as the eighth best NCAA Division I First Rounds performance among the 24 hammer throwers who qualified to Eugene.
Bueno is one of six returning women's hammer All-Americans from 2024, and the four-time defending Mexico women's hammer champion is one of nine international student-athletes representing seven different nations in the competition.
Prior to the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet, Bueno's most notable performances of her junior season included a 212-8 heave for fourth place at the Florida Relays and a third-place CUSA finish.
The athlete who finished one spot ahead of Bueno in the CUSA women's hammer competition (Kennesaw State's Kali Terza) also qualified to Eugene. This marks the second straight year the conference has sent multiple women's hammer throwers to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
How the Event Will Progress in Eugene: The 24 hammer throwers in Eugene will be divided into two flights, with Bueno throwing in the second (higher-seeded) flight. After all 24 athletes have taken three throws, the top nine competitors will earn three more attempts.
The top eight finishers will score team points and become first team All-Americans, with the next eight garnering second team All-America accolades.
Last season, eighth place measured 222-2 and 16th place reached 203-3.
What's at Stake: A top-16 placement on Thursday would make Bueno Liberty's first women's thrower ever to earn multiple All-America honors.
Bueno's 11th-place finish in 2024 is the best-ever showing by a Lady Flame in the NCAA women's hammer final.
A top-eight finish would enable Bueno to score the Lady Flames' first team points at this meet since 2016, when Ednah Kurgat took fourth place in the women's 5K at the old Hayward Field.
Bueno's 215-7 effort from the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet in Jacksonville stands as the program record.
She is chasing the Mexico women's hammer record of 218-3 set by Sharon Elizabeth Ayala Gonzalez in 2009.
Women's 1,500
Event Schedule: Semifinals – Thursday at 7:21 p.m. Eastern; Final – Saturday at 9:11 p.m. Eastern
Liberty Competitor: Allie Zealand (Fr., Forest, Va.)
How She Got Here: Zealand provided one of Liberty's most exciting moments of the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet when she clocked a program record-shattering 4:09.76 for sixth place in her quarterfinal heat and a time qualifier to her first NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Prior to that race, Zealand's mother and coach (Heather Sagan Zealand) had owned the Liberty record of 4:14.71 since finishing as the 2002 NCAA national runner-up. That was also the last time a Lady Flame qualified for the NCAA national meet in the women's 1,500 prior to this season.
One of two freshmen in the Eugene women's 1,500 field (also Judy Rono of New Mexico), Zealand owns the 20th-fastest personal best among the talented group of national qualifiers.
The Oregon faithful will take a keen interest in this event, with three Ducks competitors in the field, headlined by 2024 Olympic finalist Klaudia Kazimierska.
After getting a late start to her first collegiate outdoor season due to injury, Zealand has captured the CUSA women's 1,500 title and clocked a trio of sub-4:15 performances in the event.
How the Event Will Progress in Eugene: Two semifinal heats of the women's 1,500 will be contested on Thursday, with Zealand competing in the first section. The top five runners in each heat and the next two fastest time qualifiers will move on to Saturday's final.
The top eight runners in Saturday's final will score team points and become first team All-Americans. The other four finalists and the four fastest non-finalists will be second team All-Americans.
Last season, it took a time of 4:09.91 to advance to the final and a time of 4:10.05 to earn first team All-America honors.
What's at Stake: A top-16 finish would make Zealand the Lady Flames' second freshman ever to earn All-America honors in track & field. Katie Urbine was the first, thanks to her 10th-place women's pole vault finish in 2024.
Prior to this season, the Lady Flames' most recent top-eight finish at this meet came in 2016, when Ednah Kurgat placed fourth in the women's 5K final at the old Hayward Field.
A new personal best by Zealand would break her own program record of 4:09.76 from the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet.
That race made Zealand the eighth U.S. woman ever to break 4:10 in the 1,500 before the age of 20. Alexa Efraimson owns the U.S. U20 women's 1,500 record with a 4:03.39 from 2015 at the old Hayward Field.
This is the 10th consecutive season Liberty has been represented at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships and the seventh straight year a Flames thrower has qualified.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
Zealand's 1,500 races will air live on ESPN on Thursday (semifinals) and on ESPN2 Saturday (final).
Live video streaming coverage of all field events will air on ESPN+, with a dedicated stream set up for each event.
Live results, including lap-by-lap splits and in-progress field event updates, will be provided by Flash Results.
Weather Report
High temperatures are expected to range from 70 to 80 degrees during the four days of competition in Eugene with Wednesday expected to be the hottest day. Rain chances are low for the duration of the championship.
NCAA Championship Event Capsules (Organized Chronologically)
Men's Hammer
Event Schedule: Final – Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern
Liberty Competitor: Kellen Kimes (So., Ludington, Mich.)
How He Got Here: After placing 44th at the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet as a freshman in 2024, Kimes broke through for an 11th-place finish this time around. His 213-4 effort in the second round in Jacksonville was sufficient to make Kimes the first Liberty sophomore men's hammer thrower ever to reach the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Kimes' sophomore campaign included personal-best efforts at back-to-back meets in April (216-3 at the Florida Relays and 219-5 at the Pacific Coast Invitational). He also finished as the CUSA men's hammer runner-up, moving up one position from 2024.
Kimes will enter his NCAA national meet debut with the 20th longest personal best (219-5) among the 24 competitors. Kimes is one of six underclassmen who will throw the hammer in Eugene, including a group of five sophomores. A sophomore (Minnesota's Angelos Mantzouranis) enters as the top seed at 257-11.
How the Event Will Progress in Eugene: The 24 hammer throwers in Eugene will be divided into two flights, with Kimes throwing in the first (lower-seeded) flight. After all 24 athletes have taken three throws, the top nine competitors will earn three more attempts.
The top eight finishers will score team points and become first team All-Americans, with the next eight garnering second team All-America accolades.
Last season, eighth place measured 234-4 and 16th place reached 222-1.
What's at Stake: A top-16 placement would make Kimes Liberty's first NCAA Division I All-American in the men's hammer.
Liberty's best-ever NCAA Division I national finish in the men's hammer is 18th place by Jon Hart in 2007 and John Hicks in 2024.
Hart has owned the Liberty record at 222-4 since winning the IC4A title on May 17, 2008 in Princeton, N.J.
Women's Hammer
Event Schedule: Final – Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern
Liberty Competitor: Paola Bueno (Jr., Nayarit, Mexico)
How She Got Here: Bueno was impressive during her three-throw series in Jacksonville, breaking her own program record in both round one (214-10) and round three (215-7). As a result, Bueno placed fifth in the competition and became the first Liberty women's hammer thrower ever to qualify for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships multiple times.
After earning second team All-America honors with an 11th-place showing in 2024, Bueno hopes to move up in the standings on Thursday. Her 215-7 effort from Jacksonville ranked as the eighth best NCAA Division I First Rounds performance among the 24 hammer throwers who qualified to Eugene.
Bueno is one of six returning women's hammer All-Americans from 2024, and the four-time defending Mexico women's hammer champion is one of nine international student-athletes representing seven different nations in the competition.
Prior to the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet, Bueno's most notable performances of her junior season included a 212-8 heave for fourth place at the Florida Relays and a third-place CUSA finish.
The athlete who finished one spot ahead of Bueno in the CUSA women's hammer competition (Kennesaw State's Kali Terza) also qualified to Eugene. This marks the second straight year the conference has sent multiple women's hammer throwers to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
How the Event Will Progress in Eugene: The 24 hammer throwers in Eugene will be divided into two flights, with Bueno throwing in the second (higher-seeded) flight. After all 24 athletes have taken three throws, the top nine competitors will earn three more attempts.
The top eight finishers will score team points and become first team All-Americans, with the next eight garnering second team All-America accolades.
Last season, eighth place measured 222-2 and 16th place reached 203-3.
What's at Stake: A top-16 placement on Thursday would make Bueno Liberty's first women's thrower ever to earn multiple All-America honors.
Bueno's 11th-place finish in 2024 is the best-ever showing by a Lady Flame in the NCAA women's hammer final.
A top-eight finish would enable Bueno to score the Lady Flames' first team points at this meet since 2016, when Ednah Kurgat took fourth place in the women's 5K at the old Hayward Field.
Bueno's 215-7 effort from the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet in Jacksonville stands as the program record.
She is chasing the Mexico women's hammer record of 218-3 set by Sharon Elizabeth Ayala Gonzalez in 2009.
Women's 1,500
Event Schedule: Semifinals – Thursday at 7:21 p.m. Eastern; Final – Saturday at 9:11 p.m. Eastern
Liberty Competitor: Allie Zealand (Fr., Forest, Va.)
How She Got Here: Zealand provided one of Liberty's most exciting moments of the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet when she clocked a program record-shattering 4:09.76 for sixth place in her quarterfinal heat and a time qualifier to her first NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Prior to that race, Zealand's mother and coach (Heather Sagan Zealand) had owned the Liberty record of 4:14.71 since finishing as the 2002 NCAA national runner-up. That was also the last time a Lady Flame qualified for the NCAA national meet in the women's 1,500 prior to this season.
One of two freshmen in the Eugene women's 1,500 field (also Judy Rono of New Mexico), Zealand owns the 20th-fastest personal best among the talented group of national qualifiers.
The Oregon faithful will take a keen interest in this event, with three Ducks competitors in the field, headlined by 2024 Olympic finalist Klaudia Kazimierska.
After getting a late start to her first collegiate outdoor season due to injury, Zealand has captured the CUSA women's 1,500 title and clocked a trio of sub-4:15 performances in the event.
How the Event Will Progress in Eugene: Two semifinal heats of the women's 1,500 will be contested on Thursday, with Zealand competing in the first section. The top five runners in each heat and the next two fastest time qualifiers will move on to Saturday's final.
The top eight runners in Saturday's final will score team points and become first team All-Americans. The other four finalists and the four fastest non-finalists will be second team All-Americans.
Last season, it took a time of 4:09.91 to advance to the final and a time of 4:10.05 to earn first team All-America honors.
What's at Stake: A top-16 finish would make Zealand the Lady Flames' second freshman ever to earn All-America honors in track & field. Katie Urbine was the first, thanks to her 10th-place women's pole vault finish in 2024.
Prior to this season, the Lady Flames' most recent top-eight finish at this meet came in 2016, when Ednah Kurgat placed fourth in the women's 5K final at the old Hayward Field.
A new personal best by Zealand would break her own program record of 4:09.76 from the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet.
That race made Zealand the eighth U.S. woman ever to break 4:10 in the 1,500 before the age of 20. Alexa Efraimson owns the U.S. U20 women's 1,500 record with a 4:03.39 from 2015 at the old Hayward Field.
Players Mentioned
Hammer
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Distance
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