Two Laps To Glory For Everett
Mark Everett of Florida was looking for one of the few things missing in his war chest of honors at the 1990 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships – a win in the 800 meters.
This would be the last opportunity for Everett, a 1988 Olympian who was favored to match his 1990 NCAA Indoor title.
“I’ve won The Athletics Congress (TAC) national title, but the NCAA outdoors has kind of eluded me,” Everett told Darrell Fry of the Tampa Bay Times a week before the 1990 NCAA Outdoor. “But, not this time. This year, hopefully everything will piece together.”
Everett’s main competition was familiar: He’d beaten George Kersh of Ole Miss all three times earlier in the year – and they knew each other since 1987 when they ran on the national Junior (U20) 4×400 relay team together. Kersh was one spot away from joining Everett on the 1988 Olympic team in the 800.
At Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium, Kersh won the first heat in 1:46.05, Everett the second in 1:47.86 and Baylor’s Terril Davis the third in 1:47.43. While Kersh’s time would last as the meet’s fastest preliminary for 21 years, the final would produce a performance that would endure for 26 editions.
Kersh and Davis were closest to Stanford’s David Strang through an opening lap of 51.1 while Everett was near the back of the pack. Kersh took control on the backstretch as Everett followed his lead until unleashing a monstrous outburst in the last 200 that Kersh – or anyone – couldn’t match.
Everett stormed home in 1:44.70, a collegiate record and just the second sub-1:45 time in meet history as he won by almost a full second over Kersh (1:45.69). The previous bests by a collegian were run by Oregon’s Joaquim Cruz (1:44.91 to win the 1983 NCAA) and Jim Ryun of Kansas (1:44.9 for 880 yards in 1966).
“I dedicated the race to my mother, who came down to watch me,” said Everett, who hails from Bagdad, a small town near Pensacola on the Florida panhandle. “I always run well in front of her.”
A day later Everett anchored the fourth-place Gator 4×400 squad in 44.5, displaying sprint speed that would help explain his domination of the indoor 500 meters and 600 yards for the next decade while he also made two more Olympic 800 teams (1992 and 2000).
Everett broke a historic mark in 1992 at the Millrose Games, running 1:07.53 to surpass Martin McGrady’s 600-yard world best of 1:07.6 set in 1970. Both times were set at Madison Square Garden on a 160-yard banked board track.
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.