UCLA’s Boldon Bounced Back With 100 MR

Celebrating A Century of NCAA Track & Field Championships

UCLA’s Boldon Bounced Back With 100 MR

June 1, 1996

Ato Boldon of UCLA had plenty of time for some sweet revenge as he entered the blocks for the 100-meter final at the 1996 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

A year earlier, Boldon had missed the NCAA 100 final due to a false start in the semifinals that he claims he never committed. Boldon, at the time, was fastest in the nation, and a first- or second-place finish would have given UCLA the team title. He made some amends, winning the NCAA 200 and finishing the summer with a bronze medal in the World Championships 100.

Entering the 1996 NCAA meet, Boldon was again the country’s – and now NCAA’s all-time – fastest at 9.93. After a wind-aided 9.97 semifinal, he rocketed away in the final to 9.92 – just 0.01 off the collegiate record and the first legal sub-10 recorded at historic Hayward Field.

Boldon won by a commanding 0.18 seconds – second-largest margin in meet history – over Kentucky’s Tim Harden. Let it be known that Harden was the man who won the 1995 NCAA title when all Boldon could do was watch from the infield.

A new PR didn’t impress Boldon, who looked forward to competing for his native Trinidad at the Atlanta Olympic Games: “This was an ugly race. Hopefully, if I can have another ugly race on the 27th of July, I’ll have a gold medal.”

Boldon didn’t win Olympic gold – but his bronze medal came in 9.90, an all-dates collegiate best that lasted until 2008. He added another bronze in the 200 and didn’t have to wait too much longer for his global gold: Boldon crossed the finish line first in the 200 at the 1997 World Championships in Athens, Greece.

posted: August 31, 2020
1921-2021
The NCAA's First Championships

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.

Memorable Moments
Reese Left Her Mark On NCAA LJ
June 12, 2008

Brittney Reese won the long jump at the 2008 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with a mark of 6.93m (22-9). Reese missed the meet record by just 1cm (½ inch).

Tupuritis Shocked The Field In 1996
May 31, 1996

Einars Tupuritis won the 800 at the 1996 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships by 0.14 seconds! Turpiritis crossed the finish line in 1:45.08.

Ellis Sent USC To A Thrilling Victory
June 9, 2018

Kendall Ellis had a remarkable come-from-behind victory in the 4×400 relay at the 2018 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships that sent Southern California to the meet title.