Tolbert Earns Bronze, 4x400m Places Fourth to Close Out NCAA Outdoor Championships

Wednesday, June 10

Eugene, Ore.

Duke University

NCAA Outdoor Championships

Photo by: Howard Loa

Tolbert Earns Bronze, 4x400m Places Fourth to Close Out NCAA Outdoor Championships

6/13/2026 11:33:00 PM | Track & Field

Final Results (PDF)

EUGENE, Ore. – A bronze medal by senior Lauren Tolbert in the 800 meters and a fourth-place finish by the women's 4x400-meter relay highlighted a strong final day for Duke track and field at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Tolbert's third-place finish capped a decorated career for the Belmont, North Carolina, product and tied for the second-highest individual finish by a Duke woman at the outdoor meet. She joins former Blue Devils standouts Juliet Bottorff (NCAA Champion), Kate Van Buskirk (Bronze), Lauren Hoffman (Bronze) and Erin Marsh (Bronze) as the only Blue Devil women to earn a top-three placement at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

TOP PERFORMANCES:

Tolbert delivered a stellar performance in the women's 800 final en route to rewriting the Duke record book and securing the bronze medal. The senior notched a personal-best time of 1:58.22, lowering her own school record by more than a second to secure the highest NCAA finish of her career and garner first-team All-America accolades.
The women's 4x400 also produced a record-setting outing and the highest finish by a Duke relay at the national meet. Two days after dismantling their own program and ACC records in the semifinal, Duke's quartet of senior Julia Jackson, sophomores Braelyn Baker and Maya Collins and Tolbert one-upped that performance in the final. Keyed by splits of 49.56 and 50.20 on the second and anchor legs, respectively, the Blue Devils shaved another second off their previous best and hit the tape in a season-best 3:24.59 to place fourth overall.
Baker also represented the Duke in the 400 final earlier in the evening, dashing 51.67 to finish ninth and collect second-team All-America honors.

USTFCCCA ALL-AMERICANS:

Braelyn Baker – First Team (4x400m)
Maya Collins – First Team (4x400m)
Julia Jackson – First Team (4x400m)
Lauren Tolbert – First Team (800m, 4x400m)
Braelyn Baker – Second Team (400m, 4x100m)
Michael Bennett – Second Team (Decathlon)
Maya Collins – Second Team (4x100m)
Mia Edim – Second Team (4x100m)
Andres Langston – Second Team (400mH)
Gianna Locci – Second Team (4x100m)
Gemma Tutton – Second Team (Pole Vault)
Aden Bandukwala – Honorable Mention (800m)
Mia Edim – Honorable Mention (200m)
Max Forte – Honorable Mention (Decathlon)
Bailey Goggans – Honorable Mention (800m)
Christian Toro – Honorable Mention (Hammer Throw)

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