Riley Completed Unprecedented Double In 2012
“When I started out this year, it was something I wanted to achieve. I always set high goals for myself. This year I really wanted to be the first to do the double.” ~ Andrew Riley after the 2012 NCAA Division I Outdoor T&F Championships
Only three men have scored in both the 100 meters and 110-meter hurdles in the near 100-year history of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships: Willie Gault of Tennessee was first in 1982; Terrence Trammell of South Carolina accomplished it twice in 1999 and 2000; Andrew Riley of Illinois raised the bar to unprecedented heights in 2012.
Exactly 30 years after Gault finished runner-up in both the 100 and 110H at the 1982 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Provo, Utah, Riley put his stamp on the proceedings at Drake Stadium with the first 100-110H double in meet history.
Riley ran the gauntlet in Des Moines, Iowa: He would contest the prelim of the 100 on Wednesday, followed by the prelim of the 110H on Thursday with the final of the 100 and 110H on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Needless to say, Riley was going to be busy.
The Illinois star didn’t have any trouble advancing out of the prelims. He earned a big “Q” in each event, notching a 10.02 (+1.4) in the 100 and a 13.30 (+1.8) in the 110H.
Riley won his first national title of the meet on Friday in one of the closest finishes in meet history, regardless of event. He, eventual runner-up Harry Adams of Auburn and eventual third-place finisher Maurice Mitchell of Florida State were all within 0.005 seconds of each other. The 100 went to Riley in 10.272, while Adams and Mitchell finished in 10.274 and 10.277.
Not much was left to chance on Saturday when Riley stormed to the 110H crown. Running into a 3.5 m/s headwind, Riley crossed the finish line in 13.53, 0.07 seconds ahead of Wayne Davis II of Texas A&M. It was the second time in his career that Riley won the 110H at the meet (The first was in 2010).
“When I started out this year, it was something I wanted to achieve,” Riley said of the double. “I always set high goals for myself. This year I really wanted to be the first to do the double.”
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.
Texas’ Hooker High Jumped To NCAA Glory
Destinee Hooker won three career high jump titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships, including a massive victory in 2009 by more than two inches.
De Grasse Sprinted To Otherworldly Double
Andre De Grasse completed the 100-200 double at the 2015 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with scorching times: 9.75 (+2.7) in the 100; 19.58 (+2.4) in the 200.
Merritt Broke Long-Standing 110H MR In 2006
Aries Merritt broke a 28-year-old meet record in the 110H when he won the crown at the 2006 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 13.21.
UGA’s Torrence Made NCAA History With Double
Gwen Torrence completed the 100-200 double at the 1987 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Torrence was also the first woman to finish top-8 four times in the 100.
Bayer Gave It His All For NCAA 1500 Title
Andrew Bayer won the 1500 at the 2012 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships in one of the closest finishes in meet history – 0.01 seconds.
Tipton Led 1-2-3 Oregon Finish In 1964 JT
Les Tipton led the first podium sweep of any event in the history of the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships. Tipton and his Oregon teammates went 1-2-3 in the 1964 javelin.
K-State’s Jones Captured Heptathlon Crown In 2015
Akela Jones won the heptathlon at the 2015 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with 6371 points. That is the fourth-best score in both collegiate history & meet history.
Same Athletes, Same Result For LSU At NCAAs
The LSU foursome of Bennie Brazell, Pete Coley, Robert Parham, Kelly Willie swept the 4×100 & 4×400 crowns at the 2003 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships.
Martin Won Distance Titles For Two Programs
Francis (Frank) Martin made history twice in the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
FSU’s Williams Soared To Jumps Double In 2009
Kim Williams swept the horizontal jumps at the 2009 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Williams was particularly dominant in the TJ, winning at 14.38m (47-2¼) & by nearly 2 feet.