Plab Reached Lofty Heights In NCAA HJ

Celebrating A Century of NCAA Track & Field Championships

Plab Reached Lofty Heights In NCAA HJ

It was time for Darrin Plab to have some fun at the 1992 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.

With his second-straight NCAA high jump title wrapped up at the comfortable height of 2.24m (7-4¼), the Southern Illinois junior asked for the bar to be raised to 2.34m (7-8). That was a considerable increase, as his PR was 2.30m (7-6½) set in winning the 1991 NCAA crown.

Amazingly Plab cleared it on his first attempt – even though he needed all three attempts at 7-4¼. The clearance marked the highest achieved at low altitude in meet history.

Then the Saluki either got cocky or crazy as he asked for the bar to be raised all the way to 2.44m (8-0), which would match the world record.

Plab thought he had one decent attempt at the record, but none were particularly close.

“I didn’t think I had an eight-foot jump in me,” Plab explained to Kevin E. Boone of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “But when you’re hot, you’re hot. I thought that might push me over. Not many people ever get to try 8 feet.”

Just over two weeks later, Plab improved his PR to 2.35m (7-8½) to make the U.S. Olympic team.

posted: May 5, 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
McWilliams Ran Into The 1500 Record Book

Tiffany McWilliams won back-to-back 1500-meter crowns at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which included a three-second victory in 2003 where she set the collegiate record of 4:06.75.

Lendore Capped Dream Year At NCAAs
June 13, 2014

Deon Lendore won the 400, clocked a 44.10 anchor leg on the winning 4×400 relay team and guided Texas A&M to a runner-up finish in the 4×100 relay at the 2014 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Thomas Rose To Occasion In The High Jump
June 6, 1987

Mazel Thomas won the high jump at the 1987 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships after finishing runner-up to a teammate at the NCAA DII meet two weeks earlier.