LSU’s Hobbs Couldn’t Be Caught In 2018
LSU’s women have a decorated history 100 meters at a time.
From 1982 to 2017, the Tigers won 21 national titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships between the 100 (seven) and the 4×100 relay (14).
It had been a long time, though, since LSU saw someone as fierce as Aleia Hobbs in 2018.
Hobbs actually burst on the scene as a junior the year before when she clocked the second fastest time in collegiate history at 10.85. That came at the SEC Relays, where Hobbs came within shouting distance of collegiate record holder Dawn Sowell, another Tiger legend.
It wasn’t until Hobbs’ senior year that she took her rightful place on top of the NCAA podium.
Hobbs started 2018 by tying the collegiate record in the 60 meters at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships in College Station, Texas. She went 7.07 to win the NCAA title, matching the all-time best established by former Oregon standout Hannah Cunliffe at altitude the year before.
The outdoor season saw Hobbs notch four more all-time top-10 marks in the 100 – No. 3 (10.90), No. 4 (10.91), No. 5 (10.92) and No. 7 (10.93). Those first three marks all came in the postseason, starting at the SEC Outdoor Championships and ending in the semifinal of the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Hobbs started final competition at Historic Hayward Field by anchoring LSU to a meet record in the 4×100 relay. She didn’t have anybody close to her as she took the baton from Rachel Misher and powered through the finish line in 42.09, 0.81 seconds ahead of runner-up Oregon (Just a few weeks earlier, Hobbs toted the baton last as the Tigers set a still-standing collegiate record of 42.05 at the SEC Championships).
The back of Hobbs’ yellow jersey turned out to be a familiar sight for her opponents.
Hobbs demolished the field in the final of 100 later that afternoon as she tore through a driving rain in 11.01, 0.23 seconds ahead of Natalliah Whyte of Auburn. That was the largest margin of victory in meet history since Chryste Gaines of Stanford won by 0.24 seconds in 1992.
Hobbs was named National Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year in 2018.
The NCAA and collegiate track & field will mark a momentous milestone in the spring of 2021 -- the 100th anniversary of the NCAA Championships and with that, the NCAA Track & Field Championships. In June 1921, the University of Chicago hosted the first track & field championships in NCAA history.
This point can’t be emphasized enough: Not only was the event the first for NCAA track & field, but the first championships for any sport under the sponsorship of the NCAA.
To celebrate, over each of the next 365 days, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) will celebrate moments, student-athletes, and coaches that have made a century’s worth of championships special. From humble beginnings to important historical milestones to the modern-day, collegiate track & field has evolved with the American society.
The 2021 edition of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships begin with preliminary round action on May 27-29 in Jacksonville, Fla., and College Station, Texas. The championships final site and culmination of the celebration is slated for June 9-12, 2021 at the newly rebuilt Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
ON THIS DAY: Kerley Set 400-Meter CR In Austin
Fred Kerley set a collegiate record in the 400 on this day in 2017. Kerley went 43.70 at the NCAA DI West Preliminary Round in Austin, Texas.
Reese Left Her Mark On NCAA LJ
Brittney Reese won the long jump at the 2008 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with a mark of 6.93m (22-9). Reese missed the meet record by just 1cm (½ inch).
Foster Won All-Time Classic 110H In 1978
Greg Foster won an epic 110H race at the 1978 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Foster beat Renaldo Nehemiah & set an AR, CR & MR in the process with his 13.22.
D’Agostino Won By Slim Margin In 2012
Abbey D’Agostino won back-to-back 5K titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 2012 & 2013. When D’Agostino won in 2012, it was by just 0.03 seconds.
Tupuritis Shocked The Field In 1996
Einars Tupuritis won the 800 at the 1996 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships by 0.14 seconds! Turpiritis crossed the finish line in 1:45.08.
Arkansas’ Brown Notched All-Time 100H Mark
Janeek Brown won the 100H at the 2019 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 12.40, narrowly missing the collegiate record and meet record.
Brown Paced Tennessee To 1974 Team Title
Doug Brown won back-to-back steeplechase titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 1973 & 1974. His victory in 1973 was by 17.2 seconds!
EMU’s Jones Hurdled Into NCAA History
Hayes Jones completed the 120H-220H sweep at the 1959 NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships. Jones won the last 220H title ever awarded at the meet.
Ellis Sent USC To A Thrilling Victory
Kendall Ellis had a remarkable come-from-behind victory in the 4×400 relay at the 2018 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships that sent Southern California to the meet title.
Paige Turned Three NCAA Mid-Distance Titles
Don Paige won three career titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships, including a 800-1500 sweep in 1979.