Fleshman Starred In The 5000 Meters
Lauren Fleshman learned an important lesson in March of 2003.
Fleshman, then a four-time national champion with back-to-back titles in the outdoor 5000 and an indoor 3000 crown from the previous year to boot, entered the 2003 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships as the odds-on favorite to complete the distance sweep.
A supposed coronation never came to fruition as Fleshman ended up a distant fourth in the 5000 and rallied for a close runner-up finish in the 3000 the next day. In fact, North Carolina junior Shalane Flanagan’s 0.53-second triumph over Fleshman in the 3000 was the smallest margin of victory in that event in the past 20 years.
“That was a really good reminder to be prepared for anything,” Fleshman told John Schumacher of the Sacramento Bee in 2003 about her weekend in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Three months later, Fleshman and Flanagan met up again in the 5000-meter final at the 2003 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Sacramento, California. One might think home-track advantage would play into Fleshman’s favor with it being less than two hours from Stanford’s campus, but Flanagan was undefeated against collegians that year.
A brisk early pace proved too much for many of the competitors to handle, leaving Flanagan, Fleshman and Colorado’s Sara Gorton at the front through 3200 meters. Flanagan and Fleshman picked up the tempo even more on the ninth lap, which dropped Gorton. As Flanagan made her move with 700 meters to go, Fleshman matched her stride for stride and then dropped the hammer with a 65.5-second final lap to win by more than six seconds.
Fleshman finished in 15:24.06, which demolished the previous meet record of 15:37.77, set by Amy Skieresz of Arizona five years earlier. It was the biggest improvement in that event’s meet record since North Carolina State’s Betty Springs took 19 seconds off the standard in 1983.
Post-collegiate success followed for Fleshman.
Fleshman was a two-time U.S. champion at 5000 Meters with victories in 2006 and 2010, as well as a runner-up finish in 2005. Then, at the 2011 World Championships in South Korea, Fleshman equaled the best finish by an American woman in the 5000 with her seventh-place effort.
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.