Kiss The Competition Goodbye
Balazs Kiss of Southern California didn’t waste any time in becoming just the fourth man to win an event at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in four straight years.
Kiss – whose full name is pronounced “BOWL-osh Keesh” – opened up the 1996 NCAA meet with a hammer throw of 80.86m (265-3), a meet record that gave him a victory by 11.04m (36-2) – the largest winning margin for any event in meet history.
His NCAA hammer meet record, which still stands, has only been bettered once by a collegian – by Kiss himself in 1995 at 81.94m (268-10). In fact, no collegian has come within 10 feet of Kiss’s best, and he owns the eight longest collegiate hammer throws all-time and the six longest in NCAA meet history.
After Kiss’ collegiate record in 1995, Trojan throwing coach Dan Lange noted how special Kiss was: “He doesn’t have any weaknesses,” he told Jim Dunaway for Track & Field News. “He’s big, strong, extremely athletic and he has an incredible work ethic. He has a great attitude and is extremely strong mentally.”
At the time, Lange was looking to Kiss’ summer of 1995 – “I don’t see why he can’t win a medal at the Worlds” – but in finishing fourth there his debut on a major global podium would have to wait until the 1996 Olympics, despite extending the all-dates collegiate best that summer to 82.56m (270-10).
At the Atlanta Games, Kiss showed his major-meet mettle, throwing over 260-feet (79.24m) four times with his best a gold medal-winning effort of 81.24m (266-6).
As dominant a collegiate thrower as Kiss was, he survived a scare as a sophomore in 1994, when he battled a hip injury. With two fouls at the NCAA Championships he advanced to the final with a safety effort – at least for him – of 68.82m (225-9). He then climbed out of sixth place to eventually win at 74.84m (245-6). His winning margin that year – just 2.42m (7-11) – was the only one of his NCAA victories less than 10-feet.
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.