Richardson Sprints To Record Day In 2019
How long does it take someone to blink an eye?
We’d be hard-pressed to say anything longer than 10.75 seconds.
Because as soon as Sha’Carri Richardson of LSU started the final of the 100 meters at the 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, she was gone.
But how could you possibly forget this moment? pic.twitter.com/n91WHBdCty
— NCAA Track & Field (@NCAATrackField) August 14, 2019
Last year in Austin, Texas, Richardson shattered a 30-year-old collegiate record in the event with a swagger that only she knows. Richardson pulled away from a talented field that would comprise the fastest 100-meter final in meet history right after the midpoint, turned on the jets and put so much distance between herself and eventual runner-up Kayla White of North Carolina A&T that she began celebrating five meters from the finish line.
Richardson broke the tape in 10.75 (+1.6), bettering another former LSU great’s standard from 1989 by 0.03 seconds (Dawn Sowell, 10.78). And just like Sowell and 2018 NCAA champ Aleia Hobbs, who also starred for the Tigers, Richardson won by a landslide. Richardson posted the second largest margin of victory in the event since the turn of the century (0.20 seconds), slightly off Hobbs’ pace from the previous year (0.23 seconds). Sowell is still the standard bearer for single-race dominance with a 0.34-second victory.
Those in attendance for the final day of the NCAA Championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium saw Richardson’s meteoric rise one race at a time.
Richardson started things off by anchoring LSU’s 4×100 relay team to a runner-up finish and nearly carried them to victory. The Dallas native made up serious ground on Twanisha Terry of Southern California and helped the Tigers clock the best mark for a runner-up team in meet history of 42.29 seconds. That was also the eighth fastest performance in collegiate history.
Then after she broke the collegiate record in the 100, Richardson finished a close runner-up in the 200 meters with the fifth fastest performance in collegiate history of 22.17. If it weren’t for two-time champ Angie Annelus of Southern California, who won in 22.16 and is just the fourth woman in meet history to repeat in the event, Richardson could have become only the second freshman to complete the 100-200 double (Ariana Washington of Oregon was the first in 2016).
Later that year, Richardson took home The Bowerman, collegiate track & field’s highest honor.
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.
Mikkola Set Javelin MR With Huge Win
Esko Mikkola was a two-time JT winner at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. When Mikkola won in 1998, he set a MR of 81.86m (268‑7) and won by 17 feet!
Little Made Big 400H History
Shamier Little won three consecutive 400H titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships between 2014 & 2016. Little became the No. 2 performer in collegiate history with her 53.51 winner in 2016.
Comenentia Completed Historic Double In 2018
Denzel Comenentia became only the third man in the history of the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships to complete the HT-SP double back in 2018.
Ellerbe Won After Film Review In 1939
Mozelle Ellerbe won back-to-back 100-yard dash titles at the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships in 1938 & 1939. His victory in the 2nd year was confirmed by a film review.
Saunders Won Back-To-Back SP Titles, Set CR
Raven Saunders won back-to-back SP titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 2015 & 2016. Saunders set a CR & MR of 19.33m (63-5) in that second year.
McCullouch Ran Legendary Times At NCAAs
Earl McCullouch of Southern California won back-to-back 120H titles at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and was a member of a WR-setting quarter-mile relay team.
Hook ‘Em, Leo: Manzano Made 1500 History
Leo Manzano was the first male freshman in the history of the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships to win the 1500/mile in 2005. Manzano added a 2nd title to his haul in 2008.
Walton Started It All In The 800
Delisa Walton won the first women’s 800 at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 1982. Walton is the mother of Ebonie Floyd, who finished 2nd in the 2007 100.
Rupp Capped Sensational Senior Year In 2009
Galen Rupp completed an unprecedented year at the 2009 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships when he swept the 5K & 10K.
Gipson, Ugen Made Long Jump History
Whitney Gipson & Lorraine Ugen were the first teammates to win women’s long jump titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in consecutive years (Gipson in 2012; Ugen in 2013).