World-recordholder Mykolas Alekna Chases His First NCAA Crown

He has set two world records, won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, twice climbed the podium at the World Championships and is the youngest athlete ever to throw the discus 70 meters.

He even has earned a Cal degree.

On Friday, in his final meet representing the Bears, Mykolas Alekna chases his first NCAA title.

The Golden Bears have eight athletes competing at the NCAA Track and Field Championships, which run Wednesday through Saturday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The men go on Wednesday and Friday, the women on Thursday and Saturday.

The headliner is Alekna, the 22-year-old Lithuanian, who was just a couple meets into his freshman season of 2022 when he first broke the NCAA record in the discus.

But his two previous trips to the NCAA meet failed to bring a championship. Alekna finished second in 2022 as a freshman, third in 2023. He took last season off from collegiate competition to prepare for the Olympics.

“I need to win NCAAs for the first time, finally,” Alekna said. “I need to win for the school. What the school gave to me, I need to give it back.”

The Bears’ only previous national champ in the discus was provided by Martin Maric in 2009.

Cal throws coach Mo Saatara, who has six athletes at Eugene, is confident Alekna will deliver this time.

“The NCAA championship hasn’t been friendly to him,” Saatara said. “I think the first year . . . everybody has a freshman moment. And (in 2023) in Texas, the heat got to him a bit, messed with him a bit.

“He really wants to do that. It’s in Eugene and he really loves throwing there.”

Caisa-Marie Lindfors | Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics

Here’s a look at Cal’s eight entries at the NCAA meet and their chances of a top-three finish:

MYKOLAS ALEKNA, men’s discus: The world-recordholder from Lithuania is the top seed and heavy favorite to win his first NCAA title on Friday after finishing second as a freshman in 2022 and third a year later as a sophomore. Alekna skipped the college season in 2024 to prepare for the Paris Olympics, where he brought home a silver medal. Podium chances: 100 percent

JOHNNY GOODE, men’s 400: Goode obliterated Cal’s 40-year-old program record with a 45.02 clocking at the ACC championships. That gives him a No. 12 seed in an event where Florida State freshman Micahi Danzy is the favorite with a mark of 44.38 and the top nine out of three Wednesday semifinal races advance to Friday’s final. Podium chances: 10 percent

AUDREY JACOBS, women’s hammer throw: The junior, who set a Dutch U23 record last season at Cal, has a 2025 season best of 213-1 (64.94m), which is tied for the 22nd-best mark in the field. The women’s hammer competition is set for Thursday. Podium chances: 3 percent

LUCIJA LEKO, women’s shot put: Cal’s first entry in the women’s shot at the NCAAs since 2001, the sophomore from Croatia set a program record at the NCAA West Regional of 56-1 1/4 (17.10m). She resides 19th among 24 women competing in the Thursday final. Six athletes in the field have thrown 60 feet this season. Podium chances: 5 percent

CAISA-MARIE LINDFORS, women’s discus: A transfer from Florida State and senior from Sweden, Lindfors is seeded No. 6 with her school-record throw of 205-0 (62.48m). Finishing among the top three likely will require her to break her own program record in Saturday’s final. Podium chances: 30 percent

GARRETT MACQUIDDY, men’s 1,500: MacQuiddy also set a Cal record in his event this season, and his 3:38.50 clocking places him 16th among 24 entries in two heats on Wednesday. MacQuiddy will need to either finish among the top five in his heat or clock one of the next two fastest times in the semifinals. Five entries have run sub-3:34 times. Podium chances: 5 percent

GIAVONNA MEEKS, women’s hammer throw: A sophomore transfer from Vanderbilt, Meeks won the ACC title with a personal-best mark of 222-8 (67.86m), which lands her a No. 13 seed. Podium chances: 8 percent

VALENTINA SAVVA, women’s hammer throw: The Cyprus native is the highest seed of the three Cal women competing Thursday. Her personal best of 227-0 (69.20m) gives her a No. 8 seed — best among freshmen in the field — with less than 6 feet separating the top eight. Podium chances: 25 percent

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