UGA’s Torrence Made NCAA History With Double
It was finally Gwen Torrence’s time in the spotlight.
The Georgia senior was looking for her first title at the 1987 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, having been runner-up in the 100 and 200 meters the year before.
Torrence got two.
In both races, Torrence was also looking to avenge recent losses, having finished third in the 100 and second in the 200 at the SEC Outdoor Championships three weeks earlier.
Goal No. 1 was accomplished in Friday evening’s 200 final. Alabama’s Lillie Leatherwood lined up one lane inside of Torrence, who needed to improve her curve running from the SEC race where Leatherwood’s 22.38 beat Torrence’s 22.49.
In the NCAA race, Torrence followed her coach’s advice perfectly – “run the curve hard and make them come and get me,” except no one caught her as the Lady Bulldog held her lead all the way to finish that was almost a complete reversal from three weeks earlier (a wind-aided 22.37 ahead of Leatherwood at 22.51).
“I’m very happy,” Torrence gushed afterwards. “Words can’t describe how I feel right now.”
But there was still Saturday night’s 100, a potent field where Torrence would face 1985 NCAA champ Michelle Finn of Florida State, UCLA’s Gail Devers and two who had beaten her at the SEC meet in Pauline Davis of Alabama and Sheila Echols of LSU.
Attention centered on the middle of the track as Echols got the best start in lane 4. Just past the halfway point, Torrence (lane 5) and Devers (lane 6) edged ahead and waged a duel for first place. Torrence held off Devers, clocking a PR 11.25 after having been runner-up in the 1985 and 1986 NCAA meets. Devers finished second in 11.30.
As a post-collegian Torrence had a stellar career, winning gold at the 1992 Olympics (200) and 1995 World Championships (100) and adding two more golds in each meet as anchor of the U.S. 4×100-meter relay team from 1992-96.
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.
Merchant, Muller Led Cal’s Field Day In 1922
Jack Merchant and Harold Muller combined for six top-5 finishes in five field events at the 1922 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
NC State’s Springs Doubles Up Distance Titles
In 1983, Betty Springs became the first woman in the history of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships to sweep the 5K/10K titles.
“Marvelous Mal” Whitfield Stars Over Two Laps
“Marvelous” Mal Whitfield won back-to-back NCAA 800-meter/880-yard titles in 1948 and 1949.
Ewen Was A True Triple Threat At NCAAs
Maggie Ewen is the only woman in the history of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships with titles in three different throwing events.
Wanamaker Wins Inaugural Decathlon Title
Rick Wanamaker of Drake won the first-ever decathlon title at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 1970!
SMU’s Connor Bounds To Triple Jump Greatness
It’s been 38 years and still no one has broken the meet record Keith Connor of SMU set in the triple jump at the 1982 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Provo, Utah.
Hail Lorenzo! Daniel Sprints To 200-Meter Records
Lorenzo Daniel of Mississippi State made four consecutive appearances in the final of the Men’s 200 Meters and set a collegiate and meet record in his last race.
Talented Twins Dominate Pole Vault Podium
Twin sisters Lexi Jacobus and Tori Hoggard finished on the same podium five times in eight seasons at the NCAA Championships and each won an outdoor title.
Blozis Was A “Giant” In The Shot
“Giant” Al Blozis won three consecutive shot put titles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships between 1940 and 1942.
Cameron Came Close To Standing Alone
Two one-hundredths of a second separated Bert Cameron of UTEP from standing alone in NCAA history.