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.
Lawson Completed “Jesse Owens Triple” In 2016
Jarrion Lawson won the 100, 200 and long jump at the 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
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.
Dahlgren Won Back-To-Back HT Titles, Set MR
Jenny Dahlgren won back-to-back hammer titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 2006 & 2007. Dahlgren set a MR of 70.72m (232-0) in that second year.
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.
“California Comet” Doubled Up At NCAAs
Hal Davis completed the 100-200 double twice at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Tolbert Clocked 100H Meet Record In 1988
Lynda Tolbert won two career 100H titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 1988 & 1990. When Tolbert won in 1988, she set a MR of 12.82.
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!
Walker Completed Only Hurdling Triple
George Walker is the only athlete in NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships history to win all three hurdling events: 110H (120H), 400H & now-defunct 220H.