Conway Raises The Bar In 1989
Hollis Conway set the bar so high in the high jump it has yet to be cleared again.
At the 1989 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Conway jumped higher than any collegian – before or since. The Southwestern Louisiana star was firmly in the pattern of breaking his own records, but this was to be the final collegiate meet for the Shreveport, Louisiana, native, who earned the Olympic silver medal the previous summer.
Conway had victory in hand and hadn’t missed a bar as he sailed over a meet-record 2.31m (7-7). He then asked the bar to be set at 2.38m (7-9¾), a near three-inch improvement on the meet record and just a notch above the 2.37m (7-9¼) American record, which he equaled earlier with his win at the NCAA Indoor Championships. It took him two tries, but he nailed it.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” Conway told reporters afterwards about breaking the American record. “You set a lot of goals and once you achieve them, me, I immediately think of the next thing I want to do.”
He tried higher, twice at 2.40m (7-10½) before a final shoot-the-moon effort at a potential world record 2.44m (8-0). Although he was finally defeated, he won by four-and-a-half inches, the largest margin of victory to date in the event at this meet.
Conway finished his collegiate career not only with the still-standing outdoor collegiate record of 2.38m (7-9¾), but also the indoor best of 2.37m (7-9¼) that still survives — both for more than 30 years. Later that summer, Conway cleared 2.39m (7-10) to win the Olympic Festival and establish the current All-Dates Collegiate Best.
A neat epilogue: runner-up that day in Provo was Charles Austin of Texas State. Austin would win the event at the next NCAA outdoor meet, as well as the gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Conway and Austin still own the highest clearances ever by an American at 2.40m (7-10½).
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.
Texas’ Turner Soared To Triple Jump Greatness
Terri Turner was a two-time TJ champion at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. When Turner won her 2nd title in 1986, she set an all-time world best of 13.66m (44-9¾).
Stanford’s Rothert Starred In The Shot Put
Harlow Rothert won three consecutive shot put titles at the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships between 1928 & 1930. He set meet records in both 1929 and 1930.
Indiana’s Kharun Set Javelin MR In 2003
Irina Kharun won the javelin title at the 2003 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with a meet record heave of 61.82m (202-10). It also helped her win by more than 30 feet!
Hume Brothers Had Officials Seeing Double
Twins Robert & Ross Hume purposefully tied for the mile crown at the 1944 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. They tried again in 1945, but officials gave Ross the win.
Woo Pig Sooie! McLeod Sizzled Track In 2015!
Omar McLeod clocked a sizzling 13.01 (+3.9) to win the 110HH at the 2015 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Only one man had ever gone faster in meet history at the time.
Felicien Starred In The 100H At NCAAs
Perdita Felicien won back-to-back 100H titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor T&F Championships in 2002 & 2003. She set a MR of 12.68 in the semifinals on the way to title No. 2.
Truly “Unbroken,” Zamperini Shined At NCAAs
Louis Zamperini set a meet record in the mile of 4:08.3 at the 1938 NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships. Zamperini, who also won the mile in 1939, saw his record last 15 years.
Hughes Soared To Three Consecutive HJ Titles
Tanya Hughes was the first woman to win three high jump titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor T&F Championships. Hughes did so consecutively in 1991, 1992 & 1993.
Kyriazis Made Point With Javelin In 2017
Ioannis Kyriazis set a meet record in the javelin of 82.58m (270-11) and won by more than 19 feet at the 2017 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships.
Sharpe Bounded To Meet History In 1956
Bill Sharpe became the first man to eclipse the 50-foot barrier in the triple jump at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 1956. Sharpe won with his 15.36m (50‑4¾) effort.