Simply Divine: Oduduru Sprinted To History
Divine Oduduru only needed 29.59 seconds to make history on the final day of the 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Austin, Texas.
That’s just 42.65% of one minute and less than 1% of one hour.
9.86 seconds of that total came in the 100, where Oduduru posted the second fastest time in both meet history and collegiate history. Only Christian Coleman ran faster in 2017 on his way to winning The Bowerman (9.82).
That left 19.73 seconds for Oduduru in the 200, which broke a 31-year-old meet record set by Lorenzo Daniel in 1988 – tied by Jeff Capel in 1999 – and made him the second fastest performer in collegiate history behind Walter Dix from 2007.
Combined, Oduduru clocked the second fastest same-day sprint double in world history. It had been 16 years since Justin Gatlin established that all-time standard at 29.48 seconds.
Later that year, Oduduru would become a finalist for The Bowerman, alongside eventual winner Grant Holloway of Florida and Mondo Duplantis of LSU.
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.
O-H-I- Oh, Reynolds Was Fast!
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.
Princeton’s Bonthron Beat WR Holder In 1934 NCAA Mile
Bill Bonthron won an epic duel in the mile at the 1934 NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships. Bonthron beat WR holder Glenn Cunningham, 4:08.9 MR to 4:10.6.
Georgia’s Irby Doubled Down, Set 400 MR
Lynna Irby set a meet record in the 400 of 49.80 at the 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor T&F Championships. Irby also finished third in the 200 at 22.92.
Weir Wouldn’t Be Denied In Throwing Events
Robert Weir won the hammer throw at the 1983 NCAA Division I Outdoor T&F Championships with a meet record of 74.42m (244‑2). He beat a two-time defending champ.
Pitt’s Sowell Atoned With 800 Meet Record
Arnie Sowell was a two-time champion in the 800 at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He set a collegiate record of 1:46.7 in 1956 & won by 2.5 seconds.
Florida State’s England Kicked To 1500 CR
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.
Wheeler Won An All-Time 400H Classic
Quentin Wheeler set a collegiate record in the 400 Hurdles of 48.55 at the 1976 NCAA Division I Outdoor T&F Championships.
It’s Good To Be King: Cheserek Reigned At NCAAs
Edward Cheserek won five career titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, including two 5K-10K doubles.