Anchor Down: Tolbert Set 400H CR In 1997

Celebrating A Century of NCAA Track & Field Championships

Anchor Down: Tolbert Set 400H CR In 1997

June 6, 1997

There have been a few thousand national champions crowned over the near century-long span of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships and a few dozen have set a collegiate record en route to an individual event title. But, how many of those performances led to an invitation to meet with a sitting Vice President of the United States?

Vanderbilt’s Ryan Tolbert earned that experience of a lifetime in 1997. Running the 400-meter hurdles in a collegiate record 54.54 for the NCAA title, Tolbert captured the first national crown (individual or team) in the history of Vanderbilt University.

Head coach Paul Arceneaux remarked, “Ryan was charging the whole way. Usually she just runs fast enough to win, but today she left no doubt. With three hurdles to go, you knew she was going to win. It’s a great feeling to know that she is the first Vanderbilt athlete to win an NCAA Championship.”

It was such a special occasion that Tolbert garnered the attention of then-Vice President of the United States Al Gore. He and his wife, Tipper, were going to visit the Chancellor of Vanderbilt, Joe B. Wyatt, in the next few days  and asked if Tolbert could join them for dinner.

Originally from Clovis, New Mexico, Tolbert started her career as a heptathlete, but a fussy hamstring injury sidelined the all-around speciality. Her focus on the long-distance hurdles proved to be a good fit.

To wit: Tolbert also finished third in the 400 meters that year. To this date, she is only the third woman in meet history to win the 400H and earn a place in the non-hurdled one-lapper (Iowa State’s Nawal El Moutawakel was first in 1984; South Carolina’s Lashinda Demus followed in 2002).

posted: December 24, 2020
1921-2021
The NCAA's First Championships

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.

Memorable Moments
O’Brien Glides To Shot Put Dominance

Parry O’Brien, who invented the “O’Brien Glide” technique, won back-to-back shot put titles at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 1952 & 1953, each by more than two feet!

Huber Three-Peats In 3000 Meters

Vicki Huber of Villanova was the first woman to win three consecutive titles in the 3000 Meters at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Falcon Flew To NCAA Distance Glory

Joe Falcon of Arkansas is the only man in the history of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships with career national titles in the 1500 & 10,000!

Kyra Jefferson Chomps Collegiate Record
June 10, 2017

Kyra Jefferson of Florida set the current collegiate record and NCAA Outdoor meet record in the Women’s 200 Meters of 22.02 at the 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.