For many members of the Texas Tech men's track and field team, the 2024 outdoor season may have been remembered in terms of “what if?” What if three-time NCAA champion Terrence Jones had stayed healthy all season? What if the Red Raiders had been able to run and complete relays?
There were no what-ifs for Caleb Dean, who gave the Red Raiders something that will live on in the memory for a long time.
The Texas Tech senior put himself on the list of favorites to make the U.S. Olympic team in Paris after a strong performance in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Friday in Eugene, Oregon.
Dean, who finished in 47.23 seconds, once again outdistanced a strong field in his postseason comeback. The second-year transfer from Maryland ran 48.05 seconds in the NCAA West Regional quarterfinals two weeks ago and 48.05 seconds in the semifinals on Wednesday at Hayward Field.
“Honestly, it means the world to me,” Dean said on the ESPN telecast after the race. “I've been struggling with injuries. I hurt my groin in March, so I didn't even know I'd be here. I can't thank God enough. I stayed strong with my faith and I can't thank my coaches enough.”
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The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Oduduru won the NCAA 60-meter hurdles in March, becoming just the sixth Texas Tech man to win multiple individual NCAA titles. Devine Oduduru won four, Jones three, and Ja'Korian Duffield, Trey Culver and Kennedy Kituka each two, with Kituka's win coming in cross country.
The 47.23 was the second-fastest time ever by a collegiate athlete, behind 47.02 set by USC's Rai Benjamin in June 2018. Asked last week which hurdlers he enjoyed watching, Dean cited Benjamin and Kirsten Warholm, the silver and gold medalists, respectively, at the Tokyo Olympics.
He may have a chance to face one or both this summer, when the U.S. Olympic Trials run from June 21-30 at Hayward Field.
Friday's 400-meter hurdles final featured three of the seven other college athletes with the fastest records of all time: former South Plains College star and defending champion Chris Robinson, who runs at the University of Alabama, Louisiana State's Sean Burrell, who won NCAA titles in 2021 and 2022, and Baylor's Nathaniel Ezekiel, last year's bronze medalist.
In that tough competition, Dean led virtually from start to finish.
“I felt like I had a perfect race,” he said. “You all saw the times. I can't complain at all. I'm just blessed.”
“That was the most amazing 400-meter hurdles I've ever seen live,” Tech coach Wes Kitley said, “and I've been to a few Olympics.”
Robinson took second in 47.98 seconds, and Ezekiel took third in 48.88 seconds.
Tech's Oscar Edlund took fifth place in 49.23 seconds, and the junior from Sweden was named to the All-America First Team.
Dean and Edlund accounted for 14 of Tech's 19 points, and the Red Raiders finished tied for 13th in the team standings. After winning the NCAA championships indoors in March, the Red Raiders' chances of winning an outdoor title disappeared when Jones failed to qualify for the NCAA postseason in either the 100 or 200 meters after being plagued by a hamstring injury all spring.
Still, Tech could have finished higher had it not gone scoreless on two relays in Eugene.
“If Terence and the relay had been in the final, I think we would have been competing for the win,” Kitley said.
Anchorman Shamar Utter withdrew from Wednesday's 1,600-meter relay semifinal with a hamstring injury, and the Red Raiders then lost Friday's 400-meter relay final when leadoff runner Shawn Brown couldn't complete a pass to Jones.
