Texas’ Reid Unrivaled At 400 Meters

Celebrating A Century of NCAA Track & Field Championships

Texas’ Reid Unrivaled At 400 Meters

Did someone say 400?

Suziann Reid of Texas is the most successful 400-meter runner in NCAA outdoor history – the only athlete in any division with three wins in the 400 and four as a member of a champion 4×400 relay team. In fact, all 10 of her combined indoor/outdoor NCAA titles involve the 400 or the 4×400.

Reid was at her best in her final two years, anchoring the 4×400 with matching 50.6 splits for the clinching points as Texas won the team championships in 1998 and 1999.

In 1999, she won the 400 for a record third time and flashed a huge smile. “I was happy, you know,” she told Randy Riggs of the Austin American-Statesman. “They say I’m dominant in this event, so I wanted to finish with a bang.”

In her final race as a Longhorn, she held off UCLA and Southern California for the deciding points in a tight team battle: Texas won the team title with 62 points over the Bruins (60) and the Women of Troy (58).

“I had it under control,” Reid said when asked about being challenged halfway through the last lap by UCLA’s Michelle Perry. “She wasn’t going to pass me. I knew nobody was going to pass me.”

It was a perfect ending to Reid’s collegiate career as not only did the Longhorns win the team crown, but the 4×400 squad set a collegiate record of 3:27.08, breaking the mark of 3:27.50 established by the Longhorns in 1996 when Reid was a freshman. That same year she led a 1-2-3 Texas finish, the only such sweep in the event (men or women).

posted: July 12, 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
Reese Left Her Mark On NCAA LJ
June 12, 2008

Brittney Reese won the long jump at the 2008 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with a mark of 6.93m (22-9). Reese missed the meet record by just 1cm (½ inch).

Tupuritis Shocked The Field In 1996
May 31, 1996

Einars Tupuritis won the 800 at the 1996 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships by 0.14 seconds! Turpiritis crossed the finish line in 1:45.08.

Ellis Sent USC To A Thrilling Victory
June 9, 2018

Kendall Ellis had a remarkable come-from-behind victory in the 4×400 relay at the 2018 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships that sent Southern California to the meet title.