Historic Texas Relays Take Center Stage In Collegiate Track & Field

There has been no shortage of awe-inspiring performances by collegiate track & field athletes over the years at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. After all, the meet has been around since 1925.

This year is already off to a hot start with 2023 The Bowerman finalist Leo Neugebauer of Texas doing what he does best – register gaudy scores in the decathlon. Neugebauer, usually a Day 2 standout, amassed 4620 points on Wednesday for the third-largest Day 1 total in collegiate history. That put him ahead of his record pace from last year.

From The USTFCCCA InfoZone: Meets & Results | Records & Lists

Let’s take a look at the recent past, though.

Four collegiate records fell on the last weekend of March at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas: 2023 The Bowerman winner Julien Alfred of Texas had her hand in three of those with totes on the record-setting 4×100, 4×400 and sprint medley relays; Masai Russell of Kentucky went 12.36 (+2.0) in the 100-meter hurdles to take down a near 10-year-old best of 12.39 (+1.7) set by 2013 The Bowerman winner Brianna Rollins during her award-winning year.

Alfred wasn’t the only Longhorn to pull double or triple relay duty last year, as Rhasidat Adeleke and Kevona Davis provided legs on multiple occasions as well. In fact, Texas lowered its own CR in the 4×100 relay three more times with them on the squad (plus Ezinne Abba), ultimately to 41.55 at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships, which were also held at Mike A. Myers Stadium.

How about we look at 2022?

Anna Hall of Florida dominated her season-opening heptathlon. Hall, who was the 2022 NCAA Indoor champion in the pentathlon and an eventual finalist for The Bowerman, compiled 6412 points to move up to No. 4 all-time in collegiate history in the outdoor multi. Hall closed it out in style with a 2:04.61 clocking over 800 meters for an American and collegiate heptathlon record in that event.

Let’s take it back to 2021, just because.

Tara Davis of the hometown Texas Longhorns shattered Jackie Joyner’s 36-year-old collegiate outdoor record in the long jump. Just two weeks after taking down the indoor version in a winning effort at the NCAA Championships, Davis soared 7.14m (23-5¼) to better Joyner’s best by six inches. Earlier in the field series, Davis flew 6.97m (22-10½) to notch the best jump by a collegiate woman since 1985 and tied the second-best mark in collegiate history. Davis would be a finalist for The Bowerman that year.

Don’t forget about Benjamin Azamati of West Texas A&M reducing Darrell Green’s 38-year-old NCAA Division II record in the 100 meters to dust on the same day as Davis. Azamati blistered a wind-legal 9.97 to smash Green’s all-time best of 10.08 from 1983 and become the first NCAA DII athlete to clock a wind-legal sub-10. Before the outdoor season was over, Azamati turned in four other marks that were superior to Green’s previous record – 10.02, 10.03, 10.04 and 10.07.

You can be assured that 2024 will continue be one for the record books, too.