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).
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.