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.
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.