Arkansas gets a track-and-field national champion

Ayden Owens-Delerme captured the decathlon national championship on Thursday.

Arkansas junior Ayden Owens-Delerme is an NCAA champion.

Owens-Delerme tied the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships record with 8,457 points to capture the decathlon crown. The title is the first in Arkansas history for the event.

Owens-Delerme also won the heptathlon at the indoor championships in the winter.

A native of Pittsburgh and a transfer from Michigan, Owens-Delerme ran a 4-minute, 29.54-second 1,500 meters to capture the win over Texas’ Leo Neugebauer, who finished second with 8,362 points.

Owens-Delerme captured the title on the strength of his a personal-best in the discus throw and in running the 110-meter hurdles in 13.93 seconds.

The Championships continue Friday beginning at 3 p.m. CT with the Women’s Hep 100-meter hurdles. The trophy ceremony begins at 10:30 CT.