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.
Clemson’s Ross Kept Getting Faster In 1995
Duane Ross PR’d twice in the 110H at the 1995 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. When Ross won in 13.32, he became the No. 3 performer in collegiate history.
Illinois’ Kerr Went Back-To-Back At NCAAs
George Kerr won back-to-back 800/880 titles at the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships in 1959 & 1960. Kerr set a meet record of 1:46.4 in the 800 meters in 1960.
UCLA’s Baucham Bounded To TJ CR In 2005
Candice Baucham won the triple jump at the 2005 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with a collegiate record of 14.07m (46-2). Baucham took the event by more than one foot.
San Romani Went From Unknown To Legend
Archie San Romani won back-to-back 1500/mile crowns at the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships in 1935 & 1936.
Auburn’s Glance Made Them Look Twice
Harvey Glance completed the 100-200 double as a freshman at the 1976 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. He set a meet record of 10.16 in the 100.
Nova’s Rhines Did NCAA 5K Three-Peat
Jen Rhines was the first female athlete in the history of the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships to win three consecutive 5K titles.
Georgia’s Erm Cruised To 2019 Decathlon Title
Johannes Erm won the decathlon at the 2019 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships by 342 points with his 8352 total. That was also the fifth-best score in meet history.
McMillen Adapted, Set 1500 MR In 1952
Bob McMillen set a meet record in the 1500 meters of 3:50.7 at the 1952 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
LSU’s Duhaney Destroyed NCAA 200 Field In 1992
Dahlia Duhaney owns the largest margin of victory in meet history in the 200 with her 0.44-second winner at the 1992 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships.
Rice’s Roberts Cooked Up Pole Vault Greatness
Dave Roberts was the second man to win three consecutive pole vault titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships, doing so from 1971 to 1973.