Woo Pig Sooie! McLeod Sizzled Track In 2015!
Before 2015, only one man had gone sub-13 seconds in the 110 meter hurdles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships: Renaldo Nehemiah of Maryland, back in 1979, when he used a more-than-favorable tailwind in Champaign, Illinois, to push him to a scorching 12.91 (+3.5).
Omar McLeod nearly became the second almost six years ago at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
McLeod left the competition in the dust as he covered 110 meters and cleared 10 consecutive hurdles in 13.01 seconds. And just like Nehemiah 36 years earlier, McLeod had one of the strongest tailwinds ever recorded in meet history at his back – but that 3.9 m/s push can be more of a hinderance than help for hurdlers.
It also allowed McLeod to avenge the previous year and wash a sour taste out of his mouth.
“Coming in, I was thinking about it a lot,” McLeod told the media of the trials and tribulations from 2014, when a quadriceps injury forced him to miss the meet. “You have a lot at stake and a lot of people depending on you, the team depending on you – but I had to re-evaluate myself. I had to talk to myself and talk to my mom and say, ‘I got to let it go. Last year was last year.’ I had to put it behind me.”
McLeod had an amazing sophomore year, both indoors and outdoors. Indoors, McLeod broke the collegiate record in the 60 meter hurdles with his 7.45 and captured a second consecutive NCAA title in that event. Then, outdoors, he became the fifth fastest collegian in the 110H with his 13.21 effort at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. (Want to know how much the hurdling landscape changed since then? McLeod now has the seventh fastest mark in the 60H and sits in a tie as the seventh fastest performer on the 110H chart.)
“This (outdoor) win actually meant a lot more than indoors, even though I broke the collegiate record,” McLeod said after the meet. “I’m from Jamaica and Jamaica is all outdoors, so my entire life, I’ve been doing outdoors.”
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.
Iowa’s Gordon Made Competition Pay In LJ
Edward Gordon won three consecutive long jump titles at the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships from 1929 to 1931.
Powell Capped Career With 2006 Masterpiece
Ginnie Powell won back-to-back 100H titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 2005 & 2006. Powell set a collegiate record with her 12.48 from that second year.
Fromm Rewrote NCAA Javelin History
John Fromm won back-to-back javelin titles at the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships in 1957 & 1958. Fromm set MRs each time, hitting 257-1 (78.36m) in that second year.
Allen Sealed Oregon’s Title With 110H MR
Devon Allen won two career 110H titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Allen set a MR of 13.16 in 2014.
Deniz Won Epic Discus Final In 1983
Leslie Deniz won the discus throw at the 1983 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with a MR heave of 63.96m (209-10).
Fonville Made Shot Put History In 1947
Charles Fonville won back-to-back shot put titles at the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships in 1947 & 1948. His best mark came in 1947 when he won at 16.73m (54‑10⅞).
Montana’s Brown Set Two MRs in 1965
Doug Brown completed the 3-mile/6-mile double at the 1965 NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships with MRs in each event: 13:40.2 in the 3-mile, 27:59.2 in the 6-mile.
Hook ‘Em, Courtney: Okolo Starred At NCAAs
Courtney Okolo won two career 400-meter titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Okolo’s 50.23 winner from 2014 is the fastest mark by a sophomore in meet history.
UTEP’s Munyala Dominated The Steeplechase
James Munyala won three consecutive steeplechase titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships between 1975 & 1977. He set a MR of 8:24.86 in 1976.
UCLA’s Johnson Set MRs In Back-To-Back Years
Sheena Johnson won back-to-back 400H titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 2003 & 2004. Johnson set MRs each time: 54.24 (2003) & 53.54 (2004).