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.
Cal’s Hudson Wins Epic Triple Jump With World’s Best
On this day in 1987, Sheila Hudson of California set world best in Women’s Triple Jump at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships when she bounded 13.78m (45-2½).
Track. Field. Houston’s Lewis Does It All!
On this day in 1981, Carl Lewis of Houston became the first athlete since Jesse Owens to win a track event and field event at the same NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
UCLA Men’s 4×400 Clocks NCAA’s First Sub-3
On this day in 1988, the UCLA men’s 4×400 relay team became the first collegiate quartet to break three minutes, clocking 2:59.91 with Steve Lewis, Kevin Young, Danny Everett and Henry Thomas.
LSU’s Sowell Dominates 1989 NCAA Championships
On this day in 1989, Dawn Sowell of LSU culminated one of the most dominant performances in the history of the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Givens’ Quad Leads Florida State to Team Title
On this day in 1984, Randy Givens of Florida State completed a remarkable – and still, unmatched – feat, winning a quadruple set of titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Rono Rolls Into The Record Books
On this day in 1978, Henry Rono of Washington State became the first (and still only) man to set two different NCAA Championships meet records in distance races on the same day.
Jackie Joyner Doubles Down On Multi Crowns
On this day in 1983, Jackie Joyner of UCLA became the first woman to win an event twice at the NCAA Championships, claiming her second consecutive crown in the heptathlon with a then-collegiate-record-setting score of 6390 points.
Connect Four: Prefontaine Makes History
Steve Prefontaine of Oregon became the first athlete to win titles in the same outdoor event four times, claiming the 3-mile/5000m from 1970-73.
Ralph Metcalfe Is Mr. Triple-Double
Ralph Metcalfe, who was born on this day (May 29) in 1910, won three consecutive 100 and 200 titles while at Marquette from 1932-34, becoming the first athlete to win three NCAA titles in two separate events.
Georgia’s Orji Jump-Starts Record-Breaking Career
On this day in 2016, Keturah Orji of Georgia set her first collegiate record in the triple jump of 14.29m (46-10¾) at the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Florida.