Bakewell’s Winding Road To 800 Meter Glory
Karen Bakewell’s Road to 800-Meter Glory wasn’t a straight shot.
It had multiple twists and turns, not to mention a detour from Oxford, Ohio, back to Jamestown, New York, when she withdrew from Miami University in Ohio to attend a hometown community college after disagreements flared with a new coach the RedHawks hired.
“You’re going to do his workouts, because he said so,” Bakewell told The Cincinnati Enquirer back in 1986. “That’s just how it is. I was used to doing my own pace.
“I guess I needed an attitude adjustment. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to say so far away from my home – and I wasn’t sure I wanted to dedicate myself to track.”
Bakewell returned to campus rejuvenated and prepared to face all adversity head-on.
As it turns out, head coach Richard Ceronie – the same coach Bakewell butted heads with as a sophomore – had a new challenge for her. Ceronie wanted to turn Bakewell, the 1984 Mid-American Conference outdoor champion at 400 meters, into an 800-meter specialist.
“We talked about it over the winter and I was excited, because it is a new race for me,” Bakewell said. “I’ve always done the 200, 400 and relays before.”
Bakewell made her two-lap debut at the Domino’s Pizza Relays, hosted by Florida State in late March. After finishing a close second to Alabama’s Evelyn Adiru, who competed for Uganda at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, it was off to the 800-meter races for Bakewell.
“I thought she would run maybe a 2:09, which is a good time,” Ceronie said after the meet. “But she ran a 2:06.9, which is comparable to the best times being run in the country … Then I realized how really good she could be.”
Bakewell lowered her PR to 2:04.18 in early May and turned her attention to that year’s NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships that were being held in Indianapolis. For her to be crowned NCAA champion, Bakewell would probably need to run another massive PR.
You know what happened next.
Bakewell pushed the tempo from the start, using her 400-meter speed to make the rest of the competitors uncomfortable. By the time she accelerated with 300 meters to go, no one else had enough endurance to go with her as she crossed the finish line in a collegiate- and meet-record-setting time of 2:00.85.
To this day, Bakewell is one of just 15 women who have gone sub-2:01.00 in collegiate history outdoors. Twelve of those women did so at the NCAA Championships; Bakewell was the first.
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.