Prandini Dazzled At NCAAs In 2015

Celebrating A Century of NCAA Track & Field Championships

Prandini Dazzled At NCAAs In 2015

Using current scoring tables, only two women totaled more points for their teams at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships than Jenna Prandini did for Oregon in 2015: Gail Devers of UCLA in 1988 (28.5) and Merlene Ottey of Nebraska in 1983 (28).

Simply put: Prandini reached legendary status five years ago when she compiled 26 points and led the Women of Oregon to their first outdoor national team title in 30 years.

Prandini opened the weekend with a runner-up finish in the long jump, the same event in which she topped the podium in each of the previous two installments of the NCAA Championships.

A less-than-stellar opening-round effort of 4.48m (14-8½) gave way to an eventual third-round best of 6.80m (22-3¾) that put her into the lead. Prandini passed her next two attempts, but when eventual champion Quanesha Burks of Alabama soared 6.91m (22-8) in Round 5, it coaxed the Oregon standout off the bench. It ended up being for naught, as Prandini fouled in Round 6.

Fast forward two days and Prandini prepared for a three-event afternoon, beginning with the final of the 4×100 relay, followed by finals in the 100 and 200.

Disastrous hand-offs derailed the Ducks in the relay as they were hit with a Zone 2 infraction between Jasmine Todd and Ashante Horsley. By the time Prandini received the baton from Horsley after another lackluster exchange, her anchor leg amounted to trying to save face in front of the Oregon faithful at Historic Hayward Field.

Prandini returned to the track for the 100, an event in which she entered as the favorite with her wind-legal 10.92 from earlier in the season and looked to win Oregon’s third title in the past four years. Morolake Akinosun of Texas pushed the California native to the limit, but eventually the Duck broke the tape first in 10.96 – just 0.01 seconds ahead of Akinosun.

If you’re counting at home, that’s 18 points from the 100 and long jump. That leaves eight points from a close runner-up finish in the 200 – 0.03 seconds – to give Prandini her grand total of 26.

Scoring points by the bushel wasn’t new to Prandini. After all, Prandini totaled 23 points at the 2015 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships just a few months earlier to propel Oregon to a runner-up finish behind meet champion Arkansas.

All told, that was 49 points for Prandini at the NCAA Championships in 2015. That enabled her to win The Bowerman, as the collegiate track & field’s most outstanding female athlete.

posted: November 20, 2020
1921-2021
The NCAA's First Championships

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.

Memorable Moments
Mikkola Set Javelin MR With Huge Win

Esko Mikkola was a two-time JT winner at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. When Mikkola won in 1998, he set a MR of 81.86m (268‑7) and won by 17 feet!

Little Made Big 400H History
June 11, 2016

Shamier Little won three consecutive 400H titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships between 2014 & 2016. Little became the No. 2 performer in collegiate history with her 53.51 winner in 2016.

Ellerbe Won After Film Review In 1939

Mozelle Ellerbe won back-to-back 100-yard dash titles at the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships in 1938 & 1939. His victory in the 2nd year was confirmed by a film review.

McCullouch Ran Legendary Times At NCAAs

Earl McCullouch of Southern California won back-to-back 120H titles at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and was a member of a WR-setting quarter-mile relay team.

Walton Started It All In The 800

Delisa Walton won the first women’s 800 at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 1982. Walton is the mother of Ebonie Floyd, who finished 2nd in the 2007 100.

Gipson, Ugen Made Long Jump History

Whitney Gipson & Lorraine Ugen were the first teammates to win women’s long jump titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in consecutive years (Gipson in 2012; Ugen in 2013).