UCLA’s Johnson Set MRs In Back-To-Back Years
A major showdown was on stage for the women’s 400-meter hurdles at the 2004 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
For the first – and still only – time in meet history, two former champions were set to face off in the event, and the Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin seemed like good neutral ground as each hailed from opposite coasts.
2002 winner Lashinda Demus, a South Carolina senior from California, was back after missing the 2003 season and came in with a 54.50 PR that made her No. 3 on the all-time collegiate list.
Sheena Johnson, a UCLA senior from Virginia, owned the season’s best time of 54.32, which was just shy of the 54.24 collegiate record she set in winning the 2003 NCAA meet.
Demus lined up in lane 4 and Johnson in lane 6, the two separated by yet a third undefeated hurdler in Raasin McIntosh of Texas. McIntosh, NCAA runner-up to Johnson in 2003, owned a PR of 54.60 and came in having run 55.39 in the heats, then the fastest prelim in meet history.
The race lived up to potential as those top three charged into a headwind down the backstretch, with Johnson clearly controlling the lead by the fifth hurdle and Demus beginning to pull away from McIntosh for second place.
There was no catching Johnson, who stormed home to a huge CR of 53.54. At 54.22, Demus was also under the old CR, making the race the only women’s 400 hurdles in meet history with two running better than the existing CR.
McIntosh was caught for third by Wyoming’s Shauna Smith, who would become the meet’s 2005 champion. No other women’s hurdles race has had three past or future NCAA champions.
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).