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.
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’ Hooker High Jumped To NCAA Glory
Destinee Hooker won three career high jump titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships, including a massive victory in 2009 by more than two inches.
De Grasse Sprinted To Otherworldly Double
Andre De Grasse completed the 100-200 double at the 2015 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with scorching times: 9.75 (+2.7) in the 100; 19.58 (+2.4) in the 200.
Merritt Broke Long-Standing 110H MR In 2006
Aries Merritt broke a 28-year-old meet record in the 110H when he won the crown at the 2006 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 13.21.
UGA’s Torrence Made NCAA History With Double
Gwen Torrence completed the 100-200 double at the 1987 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Torrence was also the first woman to finish top-8 four times in the 100.
Bayer Gave It His All For NCAA 1500 Title
Andrew Bayer won the 1500 at the 2012 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships in one of the closest finishes in meet history – 0.01 seconds.
Tipton Led 1-2-3 Oregon Finish In 1964 JT
Les Tipton led the first podium sweep of any event in the history of the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships. Tipton and his Oregon teammates went 1-2-3 in the 1964 javelin.
K-State’s Jones Captured Heptathlon Crown In 2015
Akela Jones won the heptathlon at the 2015 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with 6371 points. That is the fourth-best score in both collegiate history & meet history.
Same Athletes, Same Result For LSU At NCAAs
The LSU foursome of Bennie Brazell, Pete Coley, Robert Parham, Kelly Willie swept the 4×100 & 4×400 crowns at the 2003 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships.
Martin Won Distance Titles For Two Programs
Francis (Frank) Martin made history twice in the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
FSU’s Williams Soared To Jumps Double In 2009
Kim Williams swept the horizontal jumps at the 2009 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Williams was particularly dominant in the TJ, winning at 14.38m (47-2¼) & by nearly 2 feet.