Reese Left Her Mark On NCAA LJ
Brittney Reese of Ole Miss had big aspirations entering the 2008 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
Her aim was about as lofty as they get – the collegiate record of 6.99m (22-11¼) by Jackie Joyner that had stood since 1985.
A dominating afternoon by Reese didn’t end with the CR, but it did produce a series of leaps that remains the best in meet history.
Even though Reese was the yearly world leader at 6.93m (22-9), she got off to a shaky start, sitting in eighth place after Round 1 at 6.11m (20-0½). But Reese found her groove in Round 2 with a jump of 6.75m (22-1¾) that put her ahead of Jacksonville’s Natasha Harvey, who had led with a wind-aided 6.65m (21-10).
In Round 3, Reese essentially ended the competition by matching her PR at 22-9, just short of the meet record of 6.94m (22-9¼) set by Sheila Echols in 1987. Her biggest potential threat – defending champ Rhonda Watkins of UCLA – ended the day with three fouls.
Reese added another 22-footer in Round 4 at 6.72m (22-0¾), becoming the first in meet history with three legal jumps over 22 feet.
No one has yet matched Reese with as many legal 22-foot efforts in the NCAA meet, and she nearly made it four.
After a foul in Round 5, Reese gathered herself for a final attempt. The measurement of 6.35m (20-10) doesn’t come close to telling the story.
“She hit the board so well and was going so fast that I think she got a little scared,” Ole Miss coach Joe Walker told David Brandt of the Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, Mississippi). “So she put her foot down early and didn’t go as far as she could have. That could have been a 23-foot jump.”
Reese’s venture into 23-foot territory would have to wait. After turning professional in the summer, she finished fourth in the Beijing Olympics. In 2009, she not only joined the 23-foot club but won the first of a record four gold medals in the World Championships. She won Olympic gold in 2012 and added silver in 2016.
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.