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.
Oregon’s Burleson Races To Meet’s First Sub-4 Mile
ON THIS DAY: Dyrol Burleson of Oregon recorded the first sub-4 minute mile in meet history at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Burleson finished in 3:59.8 and used a 55.2 closing lap to seal the deal.
Nebraska’s Greene Equals 100-Yard World Record
ON THIS DAY IN 1967: Charlie Greene of Nebraska equaled the world record in the 100 yards with his time of 9.1 at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Twice As Nice For Texas’ Richards In 2003
ON THIS DAY: Sanya Richards of Texas became the first freshman (man or woman) to win the 400 & double back to anchor the winning 4×400 relay team.
Hubbard Makes World History At NCAAs
ON THIS DAY: DeHart Hubbard of Michigan achieved the first ratified world record ever set at the NCAA Championships in 1925.
Barringer Caps Legendary Collegiate Career
Exactly 11 years ago, Jenny Barringer of Colorado became the first woman to win the steeplechase three times in a career at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Villanova’s Reid Completes Historic 1500-5K Double
Sheila Reid of Villanova completed the first 1500-5K double at the same NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships on June 11, 2011!
Brazier Makes History Two Laps At A Time
Donavan Brazier of Texas A&M set the collegiate record of 1:43.55 in the Men’s 800 Meters at the 2016 NCAA Track & Field Championships.
Wottle Leads Eight Men Under Four Minutes
On this day in 1973, Dave Wottle of Bowling Green led eight runners under the 4-minute barrier for the mile – just the second time such depth had occurred anywhere in the world.
Fight On! Southern California’s Historic Day
Three collegiate records in 80 minutes is what Southern California’s men’s team did ON THIS DAY back in 2018.
Holloway’s Texas Two-Step Into The Record Book
On this day in 2019, Grant Holloway of Florida broke Renaldo Nehemiah’s 40-year-old collegiate record in the Men’s 110 Hurdles.