Back-To-Back 200-Meter Crowns For Annelus
Anglerne “Angie” Annelus was a surprise winner in the 200 meters at the 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Annelus entered the meet ranked 13th nationally in the event with a 22.64 PR that she ran just a few weeks earlier in the prelims of the Pac-12 Championships. She ended up finishing third in that final behind Makenzie Dunmore of Oregon and teammate Deanna Hill (To wit: Hill would join Annelus in the NCAA final; Dumore only contested the 400 that year).
Running into a 2.3 m/s headwind during the 2018 NCAA final at Hayward Field, Annelus beat NCAA Indoor champ and collegiate indoor record holder Gabby Thomas of Harvard to the finish line by 0.10 seconds: 22.76 to 22.86. Annelus was the first sophomore to win the crown since Kimberlyn Duncan of LSU seven years earlier (That would be the first of three consecutive titles for Duncan).
READ MORE: LSU’s Duncan Roared To 200-Meter History
Fast forward one year later and Annelus once again walked into the NCAA Outdoor Championships as the underdog, despite being the defending champion. Annelus was ranked in a tie for seventh on the Descending Order List at 22.71 and had a sour taste to rinse out of her mouth after not making it out of the prelims at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Annelus didn’t let any of that faze her as she ripped across the track in the final at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas. She wasn’t alone, though: LSU freshman star Sha’Carri Richardson was right with her every step of the way.
It came down to a photo finish as Annelus out-leaned Richardson at the tape for a 0.01-second victory: 22.16 to 22.17. For Annelus, she became the fifth-fastest woman in collegiate history and just the fourth woman in meet history to repeat as 200-meter champion. Richardson settled for the sixth fastest mark in collegiate history and eventually won The Bowerman, large in part to setting the collegiate record in the 100 meters earlier.
Annelus, who is back this year as a redshirt senior, could make it three in a row – something that only one other woman has done in meet history (The aforementioned Duncan).
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.
Oregon’s Burleson Races To Meet’s First Sub-4 Mile
ON THIS DAY: Dyrol Burleson of Oregon recorded the first sub-4 minute mile in meet history at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Burleson finished in 3:59.8 and used a 55.2 closing lap to seal the deal.
Nebraska’s Greene Equals 100-Yard World Record
ON THIS DAY IN 1967: Charlie Greene of Nebraska equaled the world record in the 100 yards with his time of 9.1 at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Twice As Nice For Texas’ Richards In 2003
ON THIS DAY: Sanya Richards of Texas became the first freshman (man or woman) to win the 400 & double back to anchor the winning 4×400 relay team.
Hubbard Makes World History At NCAAs
ON THIS DAY: DeHart Hubbard of Michigan achieved the first ratified world record ever set at the NCAA Championships in 1925.
Barringer Caps Legendary Collegiate Career
Exactly 11 years ago, Jenny Barringer of Colorado became the first woman to win the steeplechase three times in a career at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Villanova’s Reid Completes Historic 1500-5K Double
Sheila Reid of Villanova completed the first 1500-5K double at the same NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships on June 11, 2011!
Brazier Makes History Two Laps At A Time
Donavan Brazier of Texas A&M set the collegiate record of 1:43.55 in the Men’s 800 Meters at the 2016 NCAA Track & Field Championships.
Wottle Leads Eight Men Under Four Minutes
On this day in 1973, Dave Wottle of Bowling Green led eight runners under the 4-minute barrier for the mile – just the second time such depth had occurred anywhere in the world.
Fight On! Southern California’s Historic Day
Three collegiate records in 80 minutes is what Southern California’s men’s team did ON THIS DAY back in 2018.
Holloway’s Texas Two-Step Into The Record Book
On this day in 2019, Grant Holloway of Florida broke Renaldo Nehemiah’s 40-year-old collegiate record in the Men’s 110 Hurdles.