Juskus Capped Whirlwind Week With Title
Buckle up!
You won’t believe the week Mike Juskus had back in 1981.
Saturday, May 30
Juskus won his third career javelin title at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a heave of 75.80m (248-8) and helped lead Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) to its second of what would be five consecutive team crowns.
After winning his first title as a walk-on freshman in 1978 and finishing runner-up the following year, Juskus hit his stride as a junior. Juskus ended up taking the 1980 crown by more than 33 feet at 78.76m (258-5), a mark that nobody has come within 10 feet of at the NCAA DIII Outdoor Championships since that day.
Wednesday, June 3
Juskus became a new father.
His wife, Doreen, gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Dania Lynn.
Saturday, June 6
Juskus, making his fourth appearance in a row at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships as a top finisher at the NCAA DIII meet, became the last NCAA DIII athlete to win an NCAA DI javelin title when he launched the implement 83.26m (273-2) on his sixth and final attempt of the rain-soaked afternoon (The meet had been delayed an hour and a half due to thunderstorms). It happened to be the farthest throw by a collegian that year and matched what was the third-best winning mark in meet history up to that point.
“The last two throws before that weren’t so good,” Juskus later told the Morristown (N.J.) Daily Record, his hometown newspaper. “I knew I had a lot more behind that one.”
Juskus also said he self-diagnosed and corrected a problem from those previous attempts (He had been “squaring his shoulders,” which forced each of his throws to the right).
And while Juskus still wasn’t sure that he had done enough to win, fans who remained in attendance at Bernie Moore Stadium had a better look at the proceedings from the bleachers.
“The crowd definitely told me different, though,” Juskus said.
Plus, it would be hard to discount the extra motivation Juskus had that day, too.
“I was down to my last throw and what went through my mind was my baby girl, who is 72 hours old now,” Juskus told the Associated Press after the meet.
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.