Barrett Scared Long-Standing MR In 2013
Brigetta Barrett entered the 2013 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships as the prohibitive favorite in the high jump, having won the event in each of the two previous years and setting the still-current collegiate record of 1.99m (6-6¼) just a few weeks earlier.
If Barrett reigned in Eugene, Oregon, just as she did at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, in 2011 and 2012, she’d become just the second woman in meet history to win three consecutive event titles. Tanya Hughes, another standout jumper from Arizona, snagged three in a row from 1991 to 1993.
Barrett made it look effortless through five bars, needing only one attempt to go from 1.77m (5-9¾) – where she entered – to 1.89m (6-2¼) – where she eventually turned away three other competitors for the victory (Courtney Anderson of South Florida, Maya Pressley of Auburn and Leontia Kallenou of Georgia, who’d win the 2014 NCAA crown).
Not content resting on her laurels, Barrett asked the bar to be raised to 1.95m (6-4¾) – just 1 cm (one-quarter inch) below the 18-year-old meet record of 1.96m (6-5) set by Amy Acuff of UCLA. Barrett took fouls on her first two attempts, but cleared the height on her third and final attempt, leaving many to wonder if the collegiate record was also in danger.
Ultimately, Barrett’s journey – and dreams for a meet record and an improved collegiate record – came to an end at 2.00m (6-6¾) after three misses.
“I feel like I was able to put my mark on the collegiate world,” Barrett said after the meet. “I’m very grateful for everything and couldn’t ask for more.”
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.
Villanova’s Delany Starred In NCAA 1500/Mile
Ron Delany won four career titles at the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships, including three consecutive 1500/mile crowns from 1956 to 1958. He set MRs in the 1500 (3:47.3) & mile (4:03.5).
Patience Paid Off For Stanford’s Plumer In 1984
PattiSue Plumer finally broke through at the 1984 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Plumer set the 5K MR of 15:39.38 after finishing runner-up in the 3K three consecutive times.
NCAA 100 On Spring Break
With the plethora of collegiate track & field and cross country slated to take place over the first-half of March, our daily posts highlighting the best from a century of NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will take a “spring break” from March 1-15.
Gig ‘Em, Lindon: Victor Ruled The Decathlon
Lindon Victor won back-to-back decathlon titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 2016 & 2017. He has the No. 2 & No. 3 largest point totals in meet history.
Greene Came Up Clutch In 1989 Long Jump
One of Joe Greene’s best days of long jumping started off dismally. It would end with a victory in one of the most memorable competitions in the near 100-year history of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
SMU’s Dean Starred In The Javelin At NCAAs
Windy Dean is the only woman in NCAA DI history to win three consecutive javelin titles at the Outdoor Championships. Dean did so from 1996 to 1998.
Cal’s Williams Set World Record In 1936
Archie Williams set a world record in the 400 of 46.1 in the heats of the 1936 NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships. Williams then won the NCAA title by just 0.1 seconds!
Coghlan Made History In Back-To-Back Years
Eamonn Coghlan made history in back-to-back years at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 1975 & 1976!
Henderson Set 400-Meter Records In 2005
Monique Henderson set a collegiate record in the 400 of 50.10 at the 2005 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Fight On, Clancy: Edwards Doubled Up With MRs
Clancy Edwards completed the 100-200 double at the 1978 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships with meet records in each event – 10.07 in the 100 & 20.16 in the 200.