Same Athletes, Same Result For LSU At NCAAs
Winning both relays in the same NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships had only been done twice by men’s programs before 2003 at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California.
LSU became the third with a unique twist – both squads were made up of the same four athletes. In fact, it has only happened one other time in meet history: Florida State’s women did the same in 1983.
The Tiger men didn’t enter the NCAA meet favored in either relay, but by the time of the first final – Friday’s 4×100 – LSU had broken 39 seconds for the first time with a nation-leading 38.84 in the heats. That was just inches ahead of SEC champ Tennessee’s 38.85.
In the final, LSU again had their best race all year as the foursome of Kelly Willie, Robert Parham, Pete Coley and Bennie Brazell improved to 38.65. Brazell held off UT’s Jonathan Wade on the homestretch as the Volunteers also ran a seasonal best of 38.72.
As is just about normal in the NCAA meet, the concluding track event on Saturday provided four laps of excitement. LSU had won the NCAA Indoor 4×400 crown in March, but outdoors had yet to better their 3:04.79 indoor time and was actually just the final qualifier for this final.
Baylor had the fastest seasonal best of the finalists at 3:02.82, but the fashionable pick was Minnesota. The Golden Gophers were led by Adam Steele and Mitch Potter, who earlier in the afternoon finished a surprising 1-3 in the 400.
At the first exchange, Minnesota’s Steele (45.8) handed off just behind Texas, which had the fastest split at 45.7. Robert Parham (who owned a 20.44 PR in the 200) kept LSU close with a 46.4 split as all eight teams were in contention.
Minnesota got a strong second leg from Andy Wohlin (45.9) to take the lead as Baylor was now in second. LSU moved into third with a 45.9 split by Brazell, who had finished fourth in 400 hurdles the previous day after his anchor duties on the 4×100.
LSU took the lead on the third leg after a 45.1 split from Coley, who showed some of his form from 2002 when he ran 44.89 and was third in the NCAA 400. Minnesota remained in second just ahead of fast-moving Texas Tech after a storming 44.5 split from Julian Raeborn.
The anchor legs were fast with a thrilling homestretch battle between the Gophers’ Potter and the Tigers’ Willie, who was fifth earlier in the 400. Willie never relinquished the lead, splitting 44.6 to hold off the 44.5 of Potter.
The squads from LSU (first in 3:02.01) and Minnesota (second in a school-record 3:02.33) recorded their best-ever finishes in the event.
The Tigers would see additional NCAA scoring from Brazell and Willie. Brazell was second in the 400 hurdles in 2004 and 2005, while Willie was runner-up in the 400 in 2004 and 200 in 2006. Both were staples on both relay teams, including a 2:59.59 in 2005 that was the collegiate record for 13 years.
Brazell, who was also a wide receiver on LSU’s 2003 national-champion football team, is now in his 10th year as an assistant coach on the Tiger track & field program.
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.
Oregon’s Burleson Races To Meet’s First Sub-4 Mile
ON THIS DAY: Dyrol Burleson of Oregon recorded the first sub-4 minute mile in meet history at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Burleson finished in 3:59.8 and used a 55.2 closing lap to seal the deal.
Nebraska’s Greene Equals 100-Yard World Record
ON THIS DAY IN 1967: Charlie Greene of Nebraska equaled the world record in the 100 yards with his time of 9.1 at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Twice As Nice For Texas’ Richards In 2003
ON THIS DAY: Sanya Richards of Texas became the first freshman (man or woman) to win the 400 & double back to anchor the winning 4×400 relay team.
Hubbard Makes World History At NCAAs
ON THIS DAY: DeHart Hubbard of Michigan achieved the first ratified world record ever set at the NCAA Championships in 1925.
Barringer Caps Legendary Collegiate Career
Exactly 11 years ago, Jenny Barringer of Colorado became the first woman to win the steeplechase three times in a career at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Villanova’s Reid Completes Historic 1500-5K Double
Sheila Reid of Villanova completed the first 1500-5K double at the same NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships on June 11, 2011!
Brazier Makes History Two Laps At A Time
Donavan Brazier of Texas A&M set the collegiate record of 1:43.55 in the Men’s 800 Meters at the 2016 NCAA Track & Field Championships.
Wottle Leads Eight Men Under Four Minutes
On this day in 1973, Dave Wottle of Bowling Green led eight runners under the 4-minute barrier for the mile – just the second time such depth had occurred anywhere in the world.
Fight On! Southern California’s Historic Day
Three collegiate records in 80 minutes is what Southern California’s men’s team did ON THIS DAY back in 2018.
Holloway’s Texas Two-Step Into The Record Book
On this day in 2019, Grant Holloway of Florida broke Renaldo Nehemiah’s 40-year-old collegiate record in the Men’s 110 Hurdles.