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.
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.