Watts Made Quick Work Of NCAA 400
Quincy Watts became known as the “King of the Quarter,” and his ascension to the throne began early at the 1992 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
By the time of the 400-meter final at Memorial Stadium in Austin, Watts had run two sub-45 times for the first time in meet history and had a 43.7 anchor leg in the 4×400-meter relay heats on the Southern California team (at 3:00.79 then the fastest non-final foursome in meet history).
Watts – who had also anchored the USC 4×100 team to fifth place – saved his best for the final day, scorching a 44.00 in the 400 final that would last as the meet record for 25 years – a duration that is more than twice as long as any other 400/440 MR in the meet history.
Watts cemented his legendary status with yet another memorable lap, as he and the two closest to him in the 400 – Deon Minor of Baylor and Georgia Tech’s Derek Mills – all ran on stellar 4×4 squads.
The meet’s finale had a memorable last lap. At the final exchange of the 4×400, Baylor led over Georgia Tech, while USC was in fourth place behind Ohio State. Mills overtook Minor to give Tech the win in 2:59.95 with a 43.9 split, and Watts’ blazing finish brought USC up to second in 3:00.58.
Watts’ split of 43.6 culminated a four-day stretch of amazing 400-meter running that has yet to be matched – three rounds of sub-45 times in the 400, plus two sub-44 relay legs.
Later that summer Watts won Olympic gold in Barcelona twice – in the 400 and 4×400, the latter with a 43.1 split that was the fastest recorded at the time.
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.
Bakewell’s Winding Road To 800 Meter Glory
Karen Bakewell set a meet record of 2:00.85 in the Women’s 800 Meters at the 1986 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Hurdling History For Forrest “Spec” Towns
Forrest “Spec” Towns won back-to-back hurdling titles at the 1936 and 1937 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships as part of a legendary streak.
What A Finish In The 1500 Meters!
Yared Nuguse of Notre Dame beat Justine Kiprotich of Michigan State by 0.003 seconds for the 1500-meter title at the 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
UCLA’s Griffith Sprinted Into History
Florence Griffith won two career individual titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which included a meet record in the 400 Meters.
Ewell Made Quite The (Penn) State-ment
Barney Ewell of Penn State completed the 100-200 double twice at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 1940 and 1941.
Unique Discus History For Oerter In 1958
Al Oerter won back-to-back discus titles at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which included the only tie in meet history back in 1958.
Indiana State’s Hyche Swept Sprints In 1993
No athlete – male or female – has won more individual career sprint titles at the NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships than Holli Hyche of Indiana State!
Dendy’s Double-Double Put Him Among Greats
Marquis Dendy of Florida pulled off the double-double in the long jump & triple jump at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 2014 and 2015.
SMU’s Ezeh Hammered Out Greatness
Florence Ezeh is the only woman in the history of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships to win three hammer throw titles in a career.
Gehrmann Starred In The Mile/1500
Don Gehrmann of Wisconsin won three consecutive 1500/mile titles at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships between 1948 and 1950!