Texas’ Hooker High Jumped To NCAA Glory

Celebrating A Century of NCAA Track & Field Championships

Texas’ Hooker High Jumped To NCAA Glory

No collegian had ever jumped higher than Destinee Hooker, yet she was still nervous entering the 2009 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Fayetteville, Arkansas.

It was Hooker’s first NCAA Outdoor meet in two years, having redshirted the 2008 season to concentrate on volleyball, another sport in which she had world-class skills.

Another reason for her nervousness was facing Liz Patterson of Arizona. Patterson was the reigning NCAA Outdoor champ who gave Hooker all she could handle earlier in the year when Hooker needed an indoor collegiate record of 1.98m (6-6) to break a tie for the NCAA crown.

Hooker’s 6-6 indoor clearance tied the best ever by a collegian on the combined indoor/outdoor all-time list, while Patterson’s 1.95m (6-4¾) made her tops indoors for a storied Arizona high jump program.

This time Hooker was in control, sailing over every height without a miss through 1.89m (6-2¼). Patterson, however, provided the competition Hooker anticipated, matching that height with an outdoor PR but sitting behind due to earlier misses.

Hooker, jumping before Patterson in the order, put the pressure on at 1.92m (6-3½) with a second-attempt clearance, while Patterson missed once and passed to the next height.

At 1.95m (6-4¾), Hooker was over on a first attempt to match her outdoor PR and achieve the second-best in meet history behind Amy Acuff’s 1.96m (6-5) in 1995. Patterson missed once and passed her final attempt to the next height.

For the first – and still only – time in meet history, two women attempted 1.98m (6-6). Patterson missed her lone remaining attempt, sealing victory for Hooker, who was unsuccessful in her three attempts at the record height. It was a third NCAA Outdoor title for Hooker, which matched Arizona’s Tanya Hughes, who won from 1991-93, for the most in event history.

Unfortunately, it was the final collegiate jump for Hooker, a junior who left high jumping for good after the 2009 season to pursue volleyball full-time. In 2012, she won Olympic silver in London on the U.S. team, earning acclaim as the Games’ best spiker.

Hooker completed the second set of sisters to win titles at the NCAA Outdoor meet, as older sis Marshavet won the 100 and anchored the Longhorns’ winning 4×100 relay team in 2005, the last time Texas won the women’s team crown. Marshavet was ahead of Destinee in reaching the Olympics, finishing fifth in the 200 final in 2008.

posted: April 26, 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
Plab Reached Lofty Heights In NCAA HJ

Darrin Plab won back-to-back HJ titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 1991 & 1992. Plab cleared 2.34m (7-8) in 1992 & tied the 2nd best bar in meet history.

Peoples Made History One Lap At A Time

Maurice Peoples won the 440-yard dash in 1973 & then really turned up the heat. Peoples split 43.4 on the Sun Devils’ mile relay team that finished third in the final.

KU’s Lokedi Set 10K MR In 2018

Sharon Lokedi won the 10K at the 2018 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in a meet-record 32:09.20. Lokedi led five other women under the old final-site best, too.

Can Ereng Kick It? Yes, He Can!

Paul Ereng won back-to-back 800-meter titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 1988 & 1989. Ereng is still the current indoor record holder in the event.

Dwight Stones Set High Jump WR In 1976

Dwight Stones set a world record in the high jump of 2.31m (7-7) at the 1976 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Stones also raised the MR by more than 3 inches!