Okagbare Mined For History In 2010

Celebrating A Century of NCAA Track & Field Championships

Okagbare Mined For History In 2010

USTFCCCA Hall of Fame coach Bob Kitchens recruited Blessing Okagbare as a triple jumper.

Okagbare wrapped up her UTEP career as a four-time NCAA champion – but, surprisingly, none of those national titles came in the event in which was expected to be her best (In fact, her best NCAA finish in the triple jump came in 2008 when she was the outdoor runner-up).

Instead, Okagbare traded three-bounce success for one and proved to be a quick learner in the sprints. It all came together in 2010 when she became a finalist for The Bowerman and the only woman in the history of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships to win both the 100 meters and long jump in a single year and just the second to complete the NCAA short sprint-long jump double indoors (Carlette Guidry, 1988).

Before Okagbare made history throughout 2010, she recorded four combined top-5 finishes at the NCAA Championships in 2008 and added an Olympic silver medal to boot. Okagbare took second and fourth in the indoor long jump and triple jump, respectively. Then she flipped the script outdoors with a runner-up finish in the triple jump and a third-place effort in the long jump. Just a few months after the NCAA meet, Okagbare earned a bronze medal in Beijing that was later advanced to silver after a positive drug test by the former silver medalist.

Fast forward to 2010 and Okagbare, who celebrates her 32nd birthday today, added sprinting to her repertoire between her junior and senior years.

At the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Okagbare competed in the 60 and the long jump. She won the 60 by the slimmest of margins (0.003 seconds over Texas A&M’s Gabby Mayo) and then dominated the long jump with a 23 centimeter (9 inch) victory thanks to her title-winning and meet record-setting leap of 6.87m (22-6½).

Not long after, Hayward Field proved truly historic with Okagbare inside its friendly confines.

Her legendary weekend started on Friday with a runaway victory in the 100. Okagbare hit her stride after 60 meters and began to pour it on, winning by 0.14 seconds over Texas A&M’s Porscha Lucas in a wind-aided 10.98, which was the third fastest all-conditions mark in meet history since 1992.

The following afternoon, in the long jump, Okagbare answered a ho-hum first attempt of 6.23m (20-5¼) with a brilliant 6.79m (22-3½) on her second to win the competition. That mark would have won the national title at all but five previous installments of the championships.

“I had my best season ever,” Okagbare told the media assembled in Eugene, Oregon. “I had never been an NCAA champion before. Now, everything is together.”

posted: October 9, 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
Mikkola Set Javelin MR With Huge Win

Esko Mikkola was a two-time JT winner at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. When Mikkola won in 1998, he set a MR of 81.86m (268‑7) and won by 17 feet!

Little Made Big 400H History
June 11, 2016

Shamier Little won three consecutive 400H titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships between 2014 & 2016. Little became the No. 2 performer in collegiate history with her 53.51 winner in 2016.

Ellerbe Won After Film Review In 1939

Mozelle Ellerbe won back-to-back 100-yard dash titles at the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships in 1938 & 1939. His victory in the 2nd year was confirmed by a film review.

McCullouch Ran Legendary Times At NCAAs

Earl McCullouch of Southern California won back-to-back 120H titles at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and was a member of a WR-setting quarter-mile relay team.

Walton Started It All In The 800

Delisa Walton won the first women’s 800 at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 1982. Walton is the mother of Ebonie Floyd, who finished 2nd in the 2007 100.

Gipson, Ugen Made Long Jump History

Whitney Gipson & Lorraine Ugen were the first teammates to win women’s long jump titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in consecutive years (Gipson in 2012; Ugen in 2013).