LSU’s Duncan Roared To 200 History
If your name wasn’t “Kimberlyn Duncan,” then you weren’t going to win the Women’s 200 Meters at the NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships between 2011 and 2013.
Duncan made it a clean sweep right after the turn of the last decade, winning both the indoor and outdoor version of the 200-meter crown each and every year. To date, Duncan remains the only woman in NCAA DI history to win both titles in consecutive years – let alone three.
After winning her first national title indoors in 2011, Duncan ran with confidence outdoors and entered the NCAA meet that year as the collegiate leader at 22.39. Nothing kept Duncan from her first outdoor title, as she scorched the track in 22.24, the fastest winning time at the meet since Dawn Sowell set the 22.04 CR 22 years earlier in 1989 (To wit: Duncan also became just the second sophomore to snag the half-lap crown in meet history).
Duncan completed the sweep once again in 2012, taking the indoor crown in 22.74 and then pushing through a 2.3 meter-per-second headwind in the outdoor final to break tape in 22.86. In the previous race, the national semifinal, Duncan claimed a new low-altitude, all-time collegiate best of 22.19 – 0.05 seconds faster than she ran the previous year.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate Duncan’s junior year, as a whole. Duncan raced 65 times – combining all events indoors and outdoors – and went undefeated against collegians over 200 meters during that span. Out of the four “losses” in finals in non-200 events she had that year, the future winner of The Bowerman finished runner-up in the 100 at the NCAA meet and helped LSU to a trio of runner-up finishes in relay events elsewhere.
Duncan polished off the national championship triple-double as a senior, lowering her indoor PR to 22.58 and using a 3.5 m/s tailwind to clock a blistering 22.04 in the outdoor final to match Sowell’s all-time, all-conditions collegiate best. That also remained in a tie for the meet’s fastest winning time until Kyra Jefferson broke the collegiate record four years later with her time of 22.02.
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.
Guthrie-Gresham Generates Greatness
Diane Guthrie-Gresham of George Mason broke the collegiate record in the heptathlon with 6527 points at the 1995 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Conway Raises The Bar In 1989
Hollis Conway of Southwestern Louisiana set the American record and collegiate record in the high jump at the 1989 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships!
Conley Soars; Razorbacks Complete Triple Crown
Mike Conley scored 28¾ points to lead Arkansas to its first outdoor team title, which completed the vaunted “Triple Crown,” as the program also captured the cross country and indoor titles already in the academic year.
Wisconsin’s Favor Goes Into The Record Book … Again
Suzy Favor of Wisconsin became the first woman in NCAA Division I track & field history to not only win four consecutive 1500-meter crowns, but complete the 800-1500 double at the NCAA meet.
Angela Williams Stands Tall In History
Angela Williams of Southern California was the first athlete (man or woman) to win four consecutive 100-meter titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Carlos’ Triple Leads “Speed City” Spartans
John Carlos of San Jose State became the first athlete to complete the sprint triple at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships with victories in the 100, 200 (220) and 4×100 (440-yard) relay.
Jesse Owens Completes The Quadruple-Double
ON THIS DAY: Jesse Owens completed the quadruple-double, winning four NCAA titles in two consecutive years.
“Bullet Bob” Hayes Wins Lone Shot At NCAAs
Bob Hayes of Florida A&M won his first – and only – NCAA title 56 years ago when he won the 200 meters in a wind-aided 20.4.
Southern’s Milburn Clears All Hurdles In His Way
Rodney Milburn of Southern capped a legendary collegiate career 47 years ago when he won the 120-yard high hurdles title at the 1973 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in a meet-record time of 13.1.
Sua’s Sweep Cements Unprecedented Legacy
Seilala Sua of UCLA became the most decorated individual female champion in the history of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships 20 years ago.