Coleman Cruised To The Bowerman In 2017

Celebrating A Century of NCAA Track & Field Championships

Coleman Cruised To The Bowerman In 2017

Usually in a championship semifinal, an athlete is content with seeing a “Q” or “q” next to his or her name. Bigger is better – because it means they didn’t have to sweat out each heat – but they all advance to the same final in the end, no matter how it’s achieved.

Well, Christian Coleman of Tennessee got that “Q” in the 100-meter semifinal on the first day of the 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, as well as the letters “CR” and “MR” next to it after blistering the Hayward Field track to the tune of 9.82 seconds.

That’s right: Coleman shattered 2011 The Bowerman winner Ngoni Makusha’s six-year-old collegiate record and meet record of 9.89 to open a whirlwind of a meet three years ago.

Coleman, who tied the collegiate record in the 60 meters and notched the second fastest mark in collegiate history in the 200 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships, got out quickly and left the competition standing still. By the time Coleman eased off the gas near the finish line, he had already established a massive lead.

Winds weren’t as favorable two days later, so Coleman’s sole focus was winning and achieving the 100-200 double, which – if accomplished – would make him the first man since fellow Vol legend Justin Gatlin to complete the indoor-outdoor sweep (60-200 indoors, 100-200 outdoors).

Coleman cruised to an easy 10.04 victory in the 100 – a race that was run into a 2.1 m/s headwind. Then Coleman held off a strong challenge from Nathaneel Mitchell-Blake of LSU in the 200 to win by 0.04 seconds at 20.25 for the smallest margin of victory in the past 14 years (That race, too, was run into a strong headwind: 3.1 m/s).

All told, Coleman won four NCAA titles, broke or tied a pair of collegiate records and notched numerous all-time top-10 performances in 2017. That resulted in Coleman winning The Bowerman, collegiate track & field’s highest honor, on this day three years ago. Coleman beat out one of the strongest classes in The Bowerman history for the award, topping Texas A&M standouts Fred Kerley and Lindon Victor, who both left their own marks on collegiate history (Kerley went undefeated in the 400 and broke a longstanding collegiate outdoor record in the event; Victor broke and then bettered the decathlon record).

posted: December 15, 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