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.
Cal’s Hudson Wins Epic Triple Jump With World’s Best
On this day in 1987, Sheila Hudson of California set world best in Women’s Triple Jump at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships when she bounded 13.78m (45-2½).
Track. Field. Houston’s Lewis Does It All!
On this day in 1981, Carl Lewis of Houston became the first athlete since Jesse Owens to win a track event and field event at the same NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
UCLA Men’s 4×400 Clocks NCAA’s First Sub-3
On this day in 1988, the UCLA men’s 4×400 relay team became the first collegiate quartet to break three minutes, clocking 2:59.91 with Steve Lewis, Kevin Young, Danny Everett and Henry Thomas.
LSU’s Sowell Dominates 1989 NCAA Championships
On this day in 1989, Dawn Sowell of LSU culminated one of the most dominant performances in the history of the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Givens’ Quad Leads Florida State to Team Title
On this day in 1984, Randy Givens of Florida State completed a remarkable – and still, unmatched – feat, winning a quadruple set of titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Rono Rolls Into The Record Books
On this day in 1978, Henry Rono of Washington State became the first (and still only) man to set two different NCAA Championships meet records in distance races on the same day.
Jackie Joyner Doubles Down On Multi Crowns
On this day in 1983, Jackie Joyner of UCLA became the first woman to win an event twice at the NCAA Championships, claiming her second consecutive crown in the heptathlon with a then-collegiate-record-setting score of 6390 points.
Connect Four: Prefontaine Makes History
Steve Prefontaine of Oregon became the first athlete to win titles in the same outdoor event four times, claiming the 3-mile/5000m from 1970-73.
Ralph Metcalfe Is Mr. Triple-Double
Ralph Metcalfe, who was born on this day (May 29) in 1910, won three consecutive 100 and 200 titles while at Marquette from 1932-34, becoming the first athlete to win three NCAA titles in two separate events.
Georgia’s Orji Jump-Starts Record-Breaking Career
On this day in 2016, Keturah Orji of Georgia set her first collegiate record in the triple jump of 14.29m (46-10¾) at the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Florida.