“I told you, I got you.”
Those were the first words Jaiden Reid of LSU exchanged with his sprint coach, Bennie Brazell, after he did the unthinkable.
Reid obliterated the collegiate record for the 200 meters in the final of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on Friday.
The 21-year-old from the Cayman Islands earned gold after finishing with a time of 19.63 seconds. The previous record was held by Walter Dix, who ran a 19.69 in 2007 for Florida State. Reid’s time is also the world No. 1 mark for 2026.
When Reid was asked on the ESPN broadcast the secret to his stunning speed on Friday, he credited the coach who embraced him with a hug after the race.
“Just listen to my coach, you know,” he said. “Staying down, driving long and being confident in myself.”
Reid wasn’t done on the final day of the men’s competition at Hayward Field. Earlier in the 100, Reid took home silver with a season-best, wind-assisted time of 9.82.
Reid was also part of LSU’s 4×100 relay team, which enjoyed a silver medal after finishing with a season-best 38.06 in the final. The rest of the relay team was comprised of Jeremiah Walker, Shakeem McKay and Joshua Caleb.
Reid’s contributions were the biggest highlights for the LSU men’s team.
In the 110 hurdles, senior Matthew Sophia ended his collegiate career with an eighth-place finish in 13.50. In the 400, sophomore Amal Glasgow finished eighth in 45.14.
In the discus, sophomore Chad Hendricks had a throw of 181 feet and 9 inches to finish 24th.
In the 4×400 relay, LSU took silver in the final with a season-best 2:57.96. The runners were Glasgow, Shakeem McKay, Grant Buckmiller and Malachi Austin.
The LSU men finished fourth at the championships with 42 points, an improvement from last year’s 28th‑place finish with 11.33 points. Arkansas won the team title with 56 points, followed by Georgia with 49 and Tennessee with 42.
On Thursday, the women’s 400, 10,000 and javelin events didn’t conclude by press time. In the 400, freshman Skyler Franklin didn’t advance in the 400 after finishing 15th in 51.62. Freshman Abigael Chemnagei had a personal best 32:36.65 to finish 14th in the 10,000 final. Junior Alexis Guillory finished 10th in the javelin final with a throw of 173 feet.
