photo by: Kansas Athletics

Brothers Ashton, left, and Bryce Barkdull pose with their trophies after competing in the men's pole vault at NCAA outdoor nationals in Eugene, Ore., on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

Kansas junior Ashton Barkdull finished as the national runner-up in the men’s pole vault, with his brother Bryce just a few spots behind, as KU wrapped up the track and field season on Saturday at the NCAA outdoor championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

The men’s team took 16th in the nation, headlined by the Barkdulls’ top-five finishes and another trip to the podium for discus thrower Dimitrios Pavlidis, while the women finished 48th. Decathlete Alexander Jung and steeplechase runner Ebba Cronholm set new school records as part of the competition.

The Barkdulls, Jung, Pavlidis and women’s pole vaulter Erica Ellis earned first-team All-American status with their top-eight performances.

“It was a very exciting NCAA Championship, it lets you know where you stand, it lets you know where you need to get better, and it lets you know where you’re doing well,” head coach Stanley Redwine said in a press release. “I think as a team, there’s always room to grow and get better.”

The Barkdull brothers, of Andover, were the first Jayhawks to compete, back on Wednesday evening, and set the tone for the days ahead, as both recorded personal bests. Ashton cleared 5.73 meters, just 0.05 short of national champion and fellow junior Aleksandr Solovev of Texas A&M, while Bryce, a freshman, finished fifth as the highest-placing first-year collegiate athlete in the event and one of five overall vaulters with a mark of 5.53.

Soon after the successful outing for the Barkdulls, freshman Jacob Cookinham and two-sport junior Bryce Foster took part in the shot put, with Foster in 11th at 18.96 meters and Cookinham in 16th at 18.70.

On Thursday, the Jayhawks’ pole-vault success continued with a fourth-place finish in the women’s event for the graduate student Ellis. Ellis, one of several KU standouts in the event throughout the season but the only one to qualify for nationals, came in fourth at 4.44.

Cronholm, a freshman from Sweden who began her KU athletic career by playing soccer in the fall, posted the best performance of her young collegiate track career with a time of nine minutes, 46.53 seconds. That was good enough for 13th place in Thursday’s semifinal, not to mention a KU program record, but fell just one place and a few seconds short of qualification for Saturday’s final.

Senior Aaliyah Moore, making her second appearance at outdoor nationals, came in 16th in the women’s 800-meter race at 2:04.18.

Jung and fellow decathlete Tayton Klein returned to nationals and finished seventh and 16th, respectively. Jung, a senior, went out with a bang as he reset his own school record with 7,746 points, headlined by his top-five showings in the discus, pole vault and shot put. Klein won the decathlon long jump event as part of his own 7,554-point performance.

Pavlidis, also taking advantage of his final chance to represent Kansas, threw the discus 61.04 meters on Friday afternoon for sixth place, after he had taken third at outdoor nationals with a mark of 60.97 in 2024.

“We are so thankful for the years we’ve had with him and wish him the best as he moves into his professional career,” throws coach Doug Reynolds said in a release.

Sofia Sluchaninova, a junior, ended her season 12th in the nation with her own discus throw of 56.30 meters on Saturday.

photo by: Kansas Athletics

Kansas discus thrower Dimitrios Pavlidis poses for a photo with head coach Stanley Redwine at NCAA outdoor nationals on Friday, June 13, 2025, in Eugene, Ore.

photo by: Kansas Athletics

Kansas’ Erica Ellis celebrates after competing in the pole vault at NCAA outdoor nationals in Eugene, Ore., on Thursday, June 12, 2025.

photo by: Kansas Athletics

Kansas’ Ebba Cronholm competes in the steeplechase at NCAA outdoor nationals in Eugene, Ore., on Thursday, June 12, 2025.

photo by: Kansas Athletics

Kansas’ Ashton Barkdull celebrates after competing in the men’s pole vault at NCAA outdoor nationals in Eugene, Ore., on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

photo by: Kansas Athletics

Kansas’ Ashton Barkdull poses with his trophy after competing in the men’s pole vault at NCAA outdoor nationals in Eugene, Ore., on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

photo by: Kansas Athletics

Kansas’ Bryce Barkdull competes in the men’s pole vault at NCAA outdoor nationals in Eugene, Ore., on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

photo by: Kansas Athletics

Kansas’ Bryce Barkdull competes in the men’s pole vault at NCAA outdoor nationals in Eugene, Ore., on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

photo by: Kansas Athletics

Kansas’ Tayton Klein competes in the decathlon at NCAA outdoor nationals in Eugene, Ore., on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

photo by: Kansas Athletics

Kansas’ Alexander Jung competes in the decathlon at NCAA outdoor nationals in Eugene, Ore., on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.