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).
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.
Texas’ Hooker High Jumped To NCAA Glory
Destinee Hooker won three career high jump titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships, including a massive victory in 2009 by more than two inches.
De Grasse Sprinted To Otherworldly Double
Andre De Grasse completed the 100-200 double at the 2015 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with scorching times: 9.75 (+2.7) in the 100; 19.58 (+2.4) in the 200.
Merritt Broke Long-Standing 110H MR In 2006
Aries Merritt broke a 28-year-old meet record in the 110H when he won the crown at the 2006 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 13.21.
UGA’s Torrence Made NCAA History With Double
Gwen Torrence completed the 100-200 double at the 1987 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Torrence was also the first woman to finish top-8 four times in the 100.
Bayer Gave It His All For NCAA 1500 Title
Andrew Bayer won the 1500 at the 2012 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships in one of the closest finishes in meet history – 0.01 seconds.
Tipton Led 1-2-3 Oregon Finish In 1964 JT
Les Tipton led the first podium sweep of any event in the history of the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships. Tipton and his Oregon teammates went 1-2-3 in the 1964 javelin.
K-State’s Jones Captured Heptathlon Crown In 2015
Akela Jones won the heptathlon at the 2015 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with 6371 points. That is the fourth-best score in both collegiate history & meet history.
Same Athletes, Same Result For LSU At NCAAs
The LSU foursome of Bennie Brazell, Pete Coley, Robert Parham, Kelly Willie swept the 4×100 & 4×400 crowns at the 2003 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships.
Martin Won Distance Titles For Two Programs
Francis (Frank) Martin made history twice in the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
FSU’s Williams Soared To Jumps Double In 2009
Kim Williams swept the horizontal jumps at the 2009 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Williams was particularly dominant in the TJ, winning at 14.38m (47-2¼) & by nearly 2 feet.