FSU’s Williams Soared To Jumps Double In 2009
Kim Williams won two events at the 2009 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Her long jump/triple jump double made her then just the second woman in meet history to accomplish that feat.
First up for Williams in her attempt at a double was a long jump final that still boggles fans with how amazingly close the competition was.
Would you believe the top-3 had the same best mark? That places four and five were just 1cm behind and sixth was only 2cm away from winning?
It happened.
After the first three rounds, Williams was tied with Karoline Kohler of San Diego State at 6.54m (21-5½). Kohler held the tiebreaker but was unable to compete any further due to a leg injury. Just 2cm behind was Florida’s Shara Proctor at 6.52m (21-4¾).
The leaderboard got even more crowded after Round 4, when 2007 NCAA champ Rhonda Watkins of UCLA and Baylor’s DeAna Carson posted back-to-back efforts of 6.53m (21-5¼). Proctor moved down another spot in Round 5 when Oregon’s Jamesha Youngblood blasted a PR to create a three-way tie at the top at 6.54m (21-5½).
As the deciding Round 6 started, Kohler led on the better second mark. Youngblood held second place over Williams on the same basis.
Until Williams’ final attempt, Proctor was the only one of the top-6 to post a mark in the final round, yet her 6.45m (21-2) jump meant she would finish in sixth place, as her best of 6.52m (21-4¾) was still 2cm short of the leaders.
Co-leader Williams sat in third place as the final jumper, and all she needed was something better than 6.27m (20-7) to win the tiebreaker. She delivered with a mark of 6.35m (20-10) to win one the meet’s most exciting events ever.
No tie-breakers were needed a day later when Williams came back to win the triple jump by 0.56m (22 inches). Her best mark of 14.38m (47-2¼) was slightly wind-aided at 2.1 m/s, but it remains the third-longest effort in meet history under all conditions.
It was the first of three-straight NCAA triple jump titles for Williams, matching Sheila Hudson’s total and one short of Keturah Orji for the most ever by a woman. Hudson (1990) and Orji (2018) are the only other women who have NCAA long jump/triple jump doubles.
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.
Providence’s Smith Left Field In The Dust
Kim Smith won the 5000 meters at the 2004 NCAA Division I Outdoor T&F Championships by 36.04 seconds in 15:48.86 for the largest margin of victory in meet history.
Gatlin Doubled Up In Back-To-Back Years
Justin Gatlin completed back-to-back 100-200 doubles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 2001 & 2002. He went 10.08/20.11 & 10.22/20.18 in those respective years.
UTEP’s Hoglund First To Crack 70-Foot Barrier
Hans Hoglund was the first man to touch the 70-foot barrier in the SP at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. He also won by more than 4 feet with his 21.33m (70-0) heave in 1975.
LSU’s Hobbs Couldn’t Be Caught In 2018
Aleia Hobbs anchored LSU to a 4×100 relay MR of 42.25 & then doubled back to win the 100 by 0.23 seconds at the 2018 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships.
Michael Johnson Had 1990 NCAAs To Remember
All eyes were on Michael Johnson of Baylor in the 4×400-meter relay at the 1990 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Riley Completed Unprecedented Double In 2012
Andrew Riley completed the only 100-110H double in NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships history in 2012. Riley won the 100 in 10.27 & then captured the 110H crown in 13.53
Leatherwood Rolled To Back-To-Back 400 Titles
Lillie Leatherwood won back-to-back 400-meter titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor T&F Championships in 1986 & 1987. She set a meet record of 50.90 in that second year.
Iowa’s Jones Made Distance History
Charles “Deacon” Jones set a meet record in the 2-mile at the 1957 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships with his time of 8:57.6.
Locke Doubled Up On Sprint Titles In 1926
Roland Locke entered the 1926 NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships as the WR holder in the 220. He left with the meet record in that event (20.9) & also won the 100 in 9.9.
McLain Bounded To All-Conditions TJ Best
Erica McLain won the triple jump at the 2008 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships by nearly two feet! McLain bounded to an all-conditions meet best at 14.60m (47-11).