It’s Good To Be King: Cheserek Reigned At NCAAs
When Edward Cheserek unleashed his patented kick, very few could match him.
That’s a big reason why he won 17 career NCAA titles between cross country and track & field.
The first time Cheserek dropped the hammer at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships back in 2014, though, might have been his most ferocious.
Competitors and fans, alike, already saw Cheserek’s talent on display at both the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships in November and the NCAA DI Indoor Championships in March. It was in cross country where Cheserek won the individual title by 18 seconds after gapping the field at the 8K mark. Indoors, he became just the second freshman male athlete to complete the indoor 3000-5000 double in meet history (David Kimani of South Alabama was first in 2000).
Well, the 10,000-meter final in 2014 developed into a race in which Cheserek thrived as a collegian: methodical until the last lap, when whoever had the best kick would win (More often than not, that would be Cheserek, because – like we said before – very few could match him).
A group of four, led by Kennedy Kithuka of Texas Tech, went through halfway in 14:07.0. The pace had been in the 67- to 68-second range in the first few miles, but slowed down into the 69- and 70-second realm from the 14th circuit of the Historic Hayward Field track to the penultimate lap.
Cheserek bided his time and his initial surge at the bell dropped all but Shadrack Kipchirchir of Oklahoma State. Less than 200 meters later, Cheserek turned on the jets for the final time. Kipchirchir could only watch as the Oregon freshman pulled away on the Bowerman Curve en route to a 2.13-second victory in 28:30.18 (It was actually Cheserek’s largest margin of victory at the outdoor meet over the years. He won four more titles, completing the 5K-10K double twice).
Want to know how fast that last lap was for Cheserek? Try 53.17 seconds! That included a hand-timed 24.8 in the final 200 meters. All of that is unheard of speed at the end of a 10K.
Those 10 points – and the eight Cheserek earned from finishing runner-up in the 5000 a few days later with the second fastest time in meet history – went a long way in helping the Ducks capture their first team title since 1984. Oregon did it in style, too, putting up 88 points for a modern-day scoring record.
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.
Cal’s Hudson Wins Epic Triple Jump With World’s Best
On this day in 1987, Sheila Hudson of California set world best in Women’s Triple Jump at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships when she bounded 13.78m (45-2½).
Track. Field. Houston’s Lewis Does It All!
On this day in 1981, Carl Lewis of Houston became the first athlete since Jesse Owens to win a track event and field event at the same NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
UCLA Men’s 4×400 Clocks NCAA’s First Sub-3
On this day in 1988, the UCLA men’s 4×400 relay team became the first collegiate quartet to break three minutes, clocking 2:59.91 with Steve Lewis, Kevin Young, Danny Everett and Henry Thomas.
LSU’s Sowell Dominates 1989 NCAA Championships
On this day in 1989, Dawn Sowell of LSU culminated one of the most dominant performances in the history of the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Givens’ Quad Leads Florida State to Team Title
On this day in 1984, Randy Givens of Florida State completed a remarkable – and still, unmatched – feat, winning a quadruple set of titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Rono Rolls Into The Record Books
On this day in 1978, Henry Rono of Washington State became the first (and still only) man to set two different NCAA Championships meet records in distance races on the same day.
Jackie Joyner Doubles Down On Multi Crowns
On this day in 1983, Jackie Joyner of UCLA became the first woman to win an event twice at the NCAA Championships, claiming her second consecutive crown in the heptathlon with a then-collegiate-record-setting score of 6390 points.
Connect Four: Prefontaine Makes History
Steve Prefontaine of Oregon became the first athlete to win titles in the same outdoor event four times, claiming the 3-mile/5000m from 1970-73.
Ralph Metcalfe Is Mr. Triple-Double
Ralph Metcalfe, who was born on this day (May 29) in 1910, won three consecutive 100 and 200 titles while at Marquette from 1932-34, becoming the first athlete to win three NCAA titles in two separate events.
Georgia’s Orji Jump-Starts Record-Breaking Career
On this day in 2016, Keturah Orji of Georgia set her first collegiate record in the triple jump of 14.29m (46-10¾) at the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Florida.