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.
Gerber Graduated To Elite Company
Farley Gerber of Weber State turned the steeplechase at the 1984 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships into an ultimate game of “Catch Me If You Can.”
Jenkins Set Low-Altitude Meet Best In 1999
LaTasha Jenkins of Ball State set a low-altitude meet best of 22.29 in the 200 meters at the 1999 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships!
Rice Cooked On The Course & Track
Greg Rice, winner of the first NCAA cross country title OTD in 1938, also won two career crowns at the outdoor championships, both in the 2 mile.
Prandini Dazzled At NCAAs In 2015
2015 The Bowerman winner Jenna Prandini scored 26 points at the NCAA Division I Outdoor T&F Championships that year, winning the 100 and finishing runner-up in the 200 and long jump.
Devers Reached Legendary Status In 1988
Gail Devers scored 28½ points at the 1988 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships: 100 (1st, 10.86w), 4×400 (1st, 51.4 split), LJ (2nd, 6.55m | 21-6), 4×100 (2nd), 100H (3rd, 12.90).
Hall Equaled 120H World Record In 1969
Erv Hall won the NCAA title in the 120 Yard Hurdles at the 1969 NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships, one day after setting the world record of 13.2 in the prelims.
Tulloch Shook Nerves, Dominated Javelin
Valerie Tulloch became the first woman in NCAA DI history to win three javelin titles, doing so in 1992 and then back-to-back in 1994 & 1995.
Seagren Vaulted Into The Record Book
Bob Seagren won two career pole vault titles at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He set meet records with victories in 1967 (5.28m/17-4) and 1969 (5.35m/17-7).
Gophers’ Gordien Golden With The Disc
Fortune Gordien finished runner-up in the discus at the 1943 NCAA Championships, spent two years in the Navy during World War II and then won three consecutive titles between 1946 and 1948.
Price Was Right In The Hammer
DeAnna Price won back-to-back hammer throw titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 2015 and 2016.