Hook ‘Em, Courtney: Okolo Starred At NCAAs

Celebrating A Century of NCAA Track & Field Championships

Hook ‘Em, Courtney: Okolo Starred At NCAAs

Courtney Okolo already made a name for herself before she stepped on the track at Historic Hayward Field for the 2014 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. 

Less than four weeks earlier, Okolo broke the collegiate record in the outdoor 400 with a 50.03 effort to win the Big 12 Conference crown. That was 0.07 seconds faster than what Monique Henderson turned in at the 2005 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships for the previous best, so many felt Henderson’s meet record was also on borrowed time. 

History would have to wait for Okolo, as she went 50.23 for her first NCAA Outdoor title. That being said, it is currently the fastest mark ever turned in by a sophomore in meet history. 

Okolo returned to the track the following afternoon to close out the meet with the Longhorns’ 4×400 relay. She scorched the track with a sizzling 49.57 anchor – which was then the second fastest carry ever recorded in meet history – and helped Texas dip under the previous meet record at 3:24.21 and hit the second fastest mark in collegiate history. 

All of those efforts led Okolo to being named a finalist for The Bowerman, collegiate track & field’s highest honor. While Okolo didn’t win that year, she returned to the same stage two years later after completing the 400-meter quadruple in 2016 (Okolo swept both 400s and anchored title-winning 4×400 relays at the NCAA Championships) and laid claim to the prestigious award.

posted: March 30, 2021
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
O-H-I- Oh, Reynolds Was Fast!
June 6, 1987

Butch Reynolds set a meet record in the 400 of 44.13 at the 1987 NCAA Division I Outdoor T&F Championships. He barely missed his own collegiate record of 44.10.

Fynes Won NCAA Titles For Two Programs

Sevatheda Fynes won three career titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. What’s even more impressive is that she did it for two programs – Eastern Michigan & Michigan State.

El Moutawakel Had Legendary Year In 1984

Nawal El Moutawakel set a meet record in the 400 hurdles of 55.84 at the 1984 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She also won Olympic gold that year in the event.

Florida State’s England Kicked To 1500 CR
June 15, 2008

Hannah England set a collegiate record in the 1500 of 4:06.19 at the 2008 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships & led two other women under 4:08 in one of the meet’s fastest finals.