Saunders Won Back-To-Back SP Titles, Set CR
“Records are going to get broken, but titles are forever.”
That’s a common refrain Raven Saunders heard from her coach Connie Price-Smith.
Saunders doubled up on immortality in 2015 when she completed the indoor-outdoor sweep of the shot put as a freshman at Southern Illinois. She was just the third freshman in meet history to top the outdoor podium – joining Eileen Vanisi of Texas in 1991 and Jessica Cosby of UCLA in 2002 (Vanisi actually set a meet record 24 years prior in her first foray).
Fast forward one year and Saunders returned to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships as the defending champion, but under a new banner. Saunders followed Price-Smith to Oxford, Mississippi, when the four-time Olympian took over at Ole Miss.
To say Saunders had something to prove at Historic Hayward Field would be a massive understatement. Just a few months earlier, Saunders entered the NCAA Indoor Championships as the collegiate record holder, yet fouled twice after a subpar opening salvo and finished 12th.
Spinning in a rain-soaked circle in Eugene, Oregon, Saunders fouled on her first attempt, hit a safe 17.30m (56-9¼) in Round 2 and then found her groove. Saunders went 18.30m (60-0½) in Round 3 and 18.31m (61-1) in Round 4. While both of those previous marks would have been enough to win her third NCAA crown by more than one foot, Saunders wasn’t done.
Saunders launched the shot 19.33m (63-5) in Round 5 to shatter the 33-year-old collegiate record of 18.99m (62-3¾) famously set by Meg Ritchie in 1983 and toppled the three-year-old meet record of 18.91m (62-0½) established by Tia Brooks of Oklahoma in 2013.
“It was really exciting to see her come in here and break the collegiate record at nationals,” Price-Smith said after the meet. “It doesn’t (usually) happen at nationals, but she’s been doing it and doing it in practices, so we’ve seen it. It’s nice that it actually came out and happened today. She’s been working really hard.”
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.
Providence’s Smith Left Field In The Dust
Kim Smith won the 5000 meters at the 2004 NCAA Division I Outdoor T&F Championships by 36.04 seconds in 15:48.86 for the largest margin of victory in meet history.
Gatlin Doubled Up In Back-To-Back Years
Justin Gatlin completed back-to-back 100-200 doubles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 2001 & 2002. He went 10.08/20.11 & 10.22/20.18 in those respective years.
UTEP’s Hoglund First To Crack 70-Foot Barrier
Hans Hoglund was the first man to touch the 70-foot barrier in the SP at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. He also won by more than 4 feet with his 21.33m (70-0) heave in 1975.
LSU’s Hobbs Couldn’t Be Caught In 2018
Aleia Hobbs anchored LSU to a 4×100 relay MR of 42.25 & then doubled back to win the 100 by 0.23 seconds at the 2018 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships.
Michael Johnson Had 1990 NCAAs To Remember
All eyes were on Michael Johnson of Baylor in the 4×400-meter relay at the 1990 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Riley Completed Unprecedented Double In 2012
Andrew Riley completed the only 100-110H double in NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships history in 2012. Riley won the 100 in 10.27 & then captured the 110H crown in 13.53
Leatherwood Rolled To Back-To-Back 400 Titles
Lillie Leatherwood won back-to-back 400-meter titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor T&F Championships in 1986 & 1987. She set a meet record of 50.90 in that second year.
Iowa’s Jones Made Distance History
Charles “Deacon” Jones set a meet record in the 2-mile at the 1957 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships with his time of 8:57.6.
Locke Doubled Up On Sprint Titles In 1926
Roland Locke entered the 1926 NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships as the WR holder in the 220. He left with the meet record in that event (20.9) & also won the 100 in 9.9.
McLain Bounded To All-Conditions TJ Best
Erica McLain won the triple jump at the 2008 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships by nearly two feet! McLain bounded to an all-conditions meet best at 14.60m (47-11).