Walton Started It All In The 800
Fast times were not likely in the women’s 800-meter final at the 1982 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Provo, Utah.
Cold, driving rain met the finalists for the inaugural championship race that featured two stars coming back from Friday victories – Oregon’s Leann Warren, who had won the 1500 meters, and Delisa Walton, who had anchored Tennessee’s collegiate record-setting 4×400 relay team with a 51.0 split.
Walton normally raced from the front, but the conditions forced her to tuck in behind others in an effort to seek shelter from the wind, and Warren followed suit. After a first lap of 61.9 by Tennessee’s Joetta Clark, Walton and Warren followed closely on the backstretch of the second lap.
When Walton made her move with 200 to go, Warren was boxed in by Stanford’s Regina Jacobs and just missed catching Clark as the Volunteer duo went 1-2 with Walton winning in 2:05.22.
“Whoever led, I was going to stay behind, and especially when it rained,” Walton explained. “I wasn’t going to take the lead because I couldn’t see.”
Less than a month later, Walton married Houston’s Stanley Floyd, who had won the NCAA 100 meters for the second time (his first came in 1980, when he was at Auburn). In 1983, Walton won the 600 yards and anchored UT’s 4×400 team at the NCAA Indoor Championships. In April she ended her senior season when she learned she was pregnant.
The couple’s first child, Ebonie, was born in October and forged an impressive career of her own, nearly joining mom and dad as an NCAA champ in 2007 when she finished second for Houston in the 100 – the closest a mom and daughter have come to being individual champions in the NCAA DI Outdoor 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.
Mikkola Set Javelin MR With Huge Win
Esko Mikkola was a two-time JT winner at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. When Mikkola won in 1998, he set a MR of 81.86m (268‑7) and won by 17 feet!
Little Made Big 400H History
Shamier Little won three consecutive 400H titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships between 2014 & 2016. Little became the No. 2 performer in collegiate history with her 53.51 winner in 2016.
Comenentia Completed Historic Double In 2018
Denzel Comenentia became only the third man in the history of the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships to complete the HT-SP double back in 2018.
Ellerbe Won After Film Review In 1939
Mozelle Ellerbe won back-to-back 100-yard dash titles at the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships in 1938 & 1939. His victory in the 2nd year was confirmed by a film review.
Saunders Won Back-To-Back SP Titles, Set CR
Raven Saunders won back-to-back SP titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 2015 & 2016. Saunders set a CR & MR of 19.33m (63-5) in that second year.
McCullouch Ran Legendary Times At NCAAs
Earl McCullouch of Southern California won back-to-back 120H titles at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and was a member of a WR-setting quarter-mile relay team.
Hook ‘Em, Leo: Manzano Made 1500 History
Leo Manzano was the first male freshman in the history of the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships to win the 1500/mile in 2005. Manzano added a 2nd title to his haul in 2008.
Walton Started It All In The 800
Delisa Walton won the first women’s 800 at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 1982. Walton is the mother of Ebonie Floyd, who finished 2nd in the 2007 100.
Rupp Capped Sensational Senior Year In 2009
Galen Rupp completed an unprecedented year at the 2009 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships when he swept the 5K & 10K.
Gipson, Ugen Made Long Jump History
Whitney Gipson & Lorraine Ugen were the first teammates to win women’s long jump titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in consecutive years (Gipson in 2012; Ugen in 2013).