The Red Raiders, for the second year in a row, have swept the indoor Big 12 Championships
LUBBOCK, Texas - At the 2026 Big 12 Championships for indoor track and field, the Texas Tech men's 4x400m relay needed to place at least eighth in the final race in order to win the team title, defending its three-time-reigning stranglehold on the conference.
After a Red Raiders runner was tripped by Arizona State and fell, he still collected himself and finished strong, ending in eighth in 3:09.51, a tenth of a second ahead of BYU to secure the deciding point.
That is when the controversy struck. Kansas State filed an official protest of the race in order to confirm whether the Texas Tech runner stepped outside of the track when he fell, which would have disqualified the relay and given the Wildcats the team title.
After nearly an hour delay, it was ruled that Texas Tech would not be disqualified, giving the Red Raiders' mens team its fourth straight indoor conference championship, edging out Kansas State 125 to 124 overall.
On the women's side, the final race also saw a protest filed but it was denied. The Red Raiders ended with 114.5 points to BYU's 110 to claim their second Big 12 title in a row indoors.
"I have been doing this for 42 years but I have never finished a meet like this," said Tech head coach Wes Kittley.
The Red Raiders men are now the second team ever to win four consecutive titles on the track, joining Nebraska (2000-05).
Texas Tech hurdler Malachi Snow was named the High Point Scorer after totaling 20 points by winning both the 60m hurdles in 7.43, then the 60m dash 20 minutes later in 6.46.
Additionally, long sprinter George Garcia ran 1:08.14 to place first in the 600m and triple jumper Johnathan Seremes leapt to 16.96m (55-7 3/4) for an NCAA-leading mark. Both performances matched Texas Tech indoor records.
The women's team was also headlined by hurdles and triple jumping. Tonie Ann-Forbes claimed the 60m hurdles title in a new school record of 7.91, and Ruta Lasmane jumped 13.79m (45-3) to win her second indoor conference gold.
The Red Raiders take their dominance on the Big 12 track and now prepare for multiple individual appearances in the national championships, where both Texas Tech teams have strong chances at placing in the team competition.
The national championship meet begins on March 13 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.