Florida’s Taylor Set All-Conditions TJ Best In 2011
New school mixed with old school.
Christian Taylor of Florida brought a throwback feel to the triple jump at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 2010 and 2011.
Before Taylor took to the runway inside Historic Hayward Field 11 years ago, it had been 20 years since anybody won the event by more than two feet (Edrick Floréal did so in back-to-back years in 1989 and 1990). That changed, though, when Taylor bounded a wind-aided 17.09m (56-1) to capture his first NCAA outdoor title by 0.71m (2 feet, 4 inches).
When the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championships came around, it had been 26 years since anybody touched 58 feet in the event – wind-aided or not. Mike Conley of Arkansas accomplished that feat with a 17.72m (58-1¾) effort back in 1985.
Taylor changed that in a big way inside Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
Locked in a duel with teammate Will Claye and sitting second to him through five rounds by just one centimeter (one-half inch) – 17.41m (57-1½) to 17.40m (57-1) – Taylor soared through the air on his way to an all-conditions meet best of 17.80m (58-4¾) in Round 6. Claye added more than eight inches to his daily best at 17.62m (57-9¾), but it wasn’t enough to beat Taylor.
Taylor has been a force on the world stage since then, winning back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016 and racking up four more World Championships, including each of the past three dating back to 2015.
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.
Two Laps To Glory For Everett
Mark Everett set a meet record of 1:44.70 in the 800 Meters at the 1990 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Brooks Made NCAA Shot Put History
Tia Brooks won back-to-back shot put titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships and broke the collegiate indoor record in the event in 2013.
Scott One-Upped Himself In 1978
Steve Scott of UC Irvine won the 1500-meter title at the 1978 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, one year after finishing runner-up at the same meet as an NCAA Division II athlete.
Sheffield Won An Incredible 400H Final
LaTanya Sheffield of San Diego State won the 400 Hurdles at the 1985 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships with an American record and collegiate record of 54.64.
Bjorklund Led Calvary Under 6-Mile MR In 1971
For someone who never raced longer than 2 miles in high school, Garry Bjorklund took an immediate liking to even longer distances when he arrived at Minnesota.
Okagbare Mined For History In 2010
Blessing Okagbare is the only woman in the history of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships to win both the 100 Meters and long jump!
Kiss The Competition Goodbye
Balazs Kiss won four consecutive hammer throw title at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships and still holds the collegiate record in the event!
LSU’s Duncan Roared To 200 History
Kimberlyn Duncan was the only woman in the history of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships to win three consecutive 200-meter titles, doing so between 2011 and 2013.
Brookins Hurdled To All-Time Marks
Charles Brookins won back-to-back 220H titles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and clocked an all-time world best mark in 1923!
Flo Knows Winning Triple Jump Titles
Edrick Floréal won three consecutive triple jump titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships between 1988 and 1990.