Oregon’s Washington Made NCAA History In 2016
Before 2016, no freshman woman had completed the same-year sweep of the 100 and 200 in the history of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Look closer and you’ll see that only one freshman had won the 100 in the previous 34 years (Angela Williams of Southern California in 1999 on her way to four in a row) and the best finish by a freshman in the half-lap final was national runner-up (Muna Lee of LSU in 2001 and Shalonda Solomon of South Carolina in 2005).
So, it would have been easy to write off Ariana Washington’s chances that year purely based on where she stood coming into the meet. The Oregon freshman sat in a tie for 11th on the seasonal Descending Order List in the 100 at 11.18 and 26th in the 200 at 22.97 – both marks that she turned in at the Pac-12 Outdoor Championships less than one month earlier.
Many learned over the years to doubt “Hayward Magic” at their own peril.
Washington starred on the big stage in front of her hometown crowd at Hayward Field.
After posting the fastest time in the semifinal of the 100, Washington beat Ashley Henderson of San Diego State by 0.01 seconds for the national title (10.95 to 10.96 with a 2.6 m/s tailwind). It was also the Ducks’ fourth 100-meter crown in the past five years: Washington followed in the footsteps of two-time champion English Gardner (2012 and 2013) and 2015 The Bowerman winner Jenna Prandini.
Less than one hour later, Washington returned to the track for the final of the 200. This time, she had posted the second fastest mark in the semifinal and would start alongside teammate and top qualifier Deajah Stevens. Together, they wanted to score big points to allow Oregon to keep pace with eventual champion Arkansas in the team standings.
Once the gun went off, Stevens and Washington left the other competitors standing still. And by the time the race ended – some 22.21 seconds later – Washington made history and posted the third fastest wind-legal winning time in meet history behind Dawn Sowell’s collegiate record in 1989 (22.04) and Dezerea Bryant’s mark from the previous year (22.18).
Washington continued her winning ways at the NCAA Championships as a sophomore, matching her outdoor 200-meter crown with the indoor version in 2017. And while she never topped the podium again as an individual — a runner-up finish in the 200 at the outdoor meet that year would be best she did — Washington helped the Ducks complete the only Triple Crown by an NCAA DI women’s program as they won national titles in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field during the 2016-17 academic year.
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.
Cal’s Hudson Wins Epic Triple Jump With World’s Best
On this day in 1987, Sheila Hudson of California set world best in Women’s Triple Jump at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships when she bounded 13.78m (45-2½).
Track. Field. Houston’s Lewis Does It All!
On this day in 1981, Carl Lewis of Houston became the first athlete since Jesse Owens to win a track event and field event at the same NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
UCLA Men’s 4×400 Clocks NCAA’s First Sub-3
On this day in 1988, the UCLA men’s 4×400 relay team became the first collegiate quartet to break three minutes, clocking 2:59.91 with Steve Lewis, Kevin Young, Danny Everett and Henry Thomas.
LSU’s Sowell Dominates 1989 NCAA Championships
On this day in 1989, Dawn Sowell of LSU culminated one of the most dominant performances in the history of the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Givens’ Quad Leads Florida State to Team Title
On this day in 1984, Randy Givens of Florida State completed a remarkable – and still, unmatched – feat, winning a quadruple set of titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Rono Rolls Into The Record Books
On this day in 1978, Henry Rono of Washington State became the first (and still only) man to set two different NCAA Championships meet records in distance races on the same day.
Jackie Joyner Doubles Down On Multi Crowns
On this day in 1983, Jackie Joyner of UCLA became the first woman to win an event twice at the NCAA Championships, claiming her second consecutive crown in the heptathlon with a then-collegiate-record-setting score of 6390 points.
Connect Four: Prefontaine Makes History
Steve Prefontaine of Oregon became the first athlete to win titles in the same outdoor event four times, claiming the 3-mile/5000m from 1970-73.
Ralph Metcalfe Is Mr. Triple-Double
Ralph Metcalfe, who was born on this day (May 29) in 1910, won three consecutive 100 and 200 titles while at Marquette from 1932-34, becoming the first athlete to win three NCAA titles in two separate events.
Georgia’s Orji Jump-Starts Record-Breaking Career
On this day in 2016, Keturah Orji of Georgia set her first collegiate record in the triple jump of 14.29m (46-10¾) at the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Florida.