Hail Lorenzo! Daniel Sprints To 200-Meter Records
Lorenzo Daniel of Mississippi State saved his best for last.
In becoming just the second man in the history of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships to make four 200-meter finals, Daniel won his only NCAA crown in 1988 with a meet and collegiate record of 19.87. It wasn’t even close: Daniel won by 0.33 seconds, tying the second largest margin of victory in meet history since 1948 (UCLA’s Greg Foster also won by 0.33 seconds in 1979).
The ink on the old 200 CR had barely dried, having been set less than three weeks earlier by – you guessed it – Daniel, himself, in 19.93, a mark that he used to win a record fourth-straight crown at the SEC Outdoor Championships. The old NCAA meet record of 20.16, set by Clancy Edwards of Southern California in 1978, was comparably ancient.
Daniel’s all-time standards lasted a bit longer than those he struck down. While his collegiate record would later be tied (Florida’s John Capel, 1999) and eventually broken (Tennessee’s Justin Gatlin went 19.86 in 2002 at the SEC Championships, coincidentally held on Mississippi State’s campus in Starkville), Daniel’s meet record held strong until 2019. That’s when The Bowerman finalist Divine Oduduru of Texas Tech clocked 19.73 to complete the fourth sweep of the 100-200 since the turn of the decade (Capel had also equaled the 19.87 MR in 1999).
Victory in the 200 was a long time coming for Daniel, who joined Indiana’s Charlie Peters from 1947-50 as the only men in meet history with four-straight final appearances. Daniel had been frustrated with his performances in the previous three years, which included a pair of eighth-place finishes in 1986 and 1987.
“Each year I came in with the fastest time and I disappointed everybody, including myself,” Daniel explained to Joe Illuzzi of UPI. “It was mostly because I was thinking about what the other guys were going to do. This year I forgot about that. I just felt like I was going to run a good time and not worry about anyone else.”
One of those fastest times he referred to was a 20.07 as a 19-year-old freshman at Mississippi State in 1985. It was a world U20 record that lasted 19 years until Usain Bolt ran 19.93 in 2004. It still survives as the best by an American at that age.
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.
ON THIS DAY: Kerley Set 400-Meter CR In Austin
Fred Kerley set a collegiate record in the 400 on this day in 2017. Kerley went 43.70 at the NCAA DI West Preliminary Round in Austin, Texas.
Reese Left Her Mark On NCAA LJ
Brittney Reese won the long jump at the 2008 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with a mark of 6.93m (22-9). Reese missed the meet record by just 1cm (½ inch).
Foster Won All-Time Classic 110H In 1978
Greg Foster won an epic 110H race at the 1978 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Foster beat Renaldo Nehemiah & set an AR, CR & MR in the process with his 13.22.
D’Agostino Won By Slim Margin In 2012
Abbey D’Agostino won back-to-back 5K titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 2012 & 2013. When D’Agostino won in 2012, it was by just 0.03 seconds.
Tupuritis Shocked The Field In 1996
Einars Tupuritis won the 800 at the 1996 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships by 0.14 seconds! Turpiritis crossed the finish line in 1:45.08.
Arkansas’ Brown Notched All-Time 100H Mark
Janeek Brown won the 100H at the 2019 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 12.40, narrowly missing the collegiate record and meet record.
Brown Paced Tennessee To 1974 Team Title
Doug Brown won back-to-back steeplechase titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 1973 & 1974. His victory in 1973 was by 17.2 seconds!
EMU’s Jones Hurdled Into NCAA History
Hayes Jones completed the 120H-220H sweep at the 1959 NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships. Jones won the last 220H title ever awarded at the meet.
Ellis Sent USC To A Thrilling Victory
Kendall Ellis had a remarkable come-from-behind victory in the 4×400 relay at the 2018 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships that sent Southern California to the meet title.
Paige Turned Three NCAA Mid-Distance Titles
Don Paige won three career titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships, including a 800-1500 sweep in 1979.