Oregon’s Eaton Stood Alone In The Decathlon
Domination.
That’s the only way to describe Ashton Eaton’s final decathlon for Oregon.
In 2010, Eaton set a meet record of 8457 points and won by a whopping 656 points to become the first man in meet history to win three consecutive decathlon titles (Tito Steiner of BYU won three career titles, but they weren’t consecutive). The next largest winning margin in meet history is more than 300 points less!
Eaton’s senior year was filled with incredible achievements.
At the Pac-10 Championships, he scored 39¼ points by himself to lead the Ducks to the team title. Eaton won three events (the decathlon, plus the 110 Hurdles and long jump), finished runner-up in the 100 and was a member of the fourth-place 4×100 relay team.
Indoors, the native of Bend, Oregon, smashed the world record in the heptathlon with his winning 6499-point total at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Eaton won that multi by a meet-record 513 points (The next largest winning margin is also more than 300 points fewer).
He won The Bowerman in 2010 and remains the lone combined events winner.
“There’s no words for me to use to describe Ashton Eaton,” then-Oregon head coach Vin Lananna told Gary Horowitz of The Statesmen Journal in Salem, Oregon. “He’s everything you could ever want as a student, as an athlete, as an ambassador for the program.”
Eaton, of course, enjoyed a wonderful post-collegiate career, setting a since-broken decathlon world record of 9045 points and winning two Olympic gold medals.
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.