Mosqueda’s 10K Record Caps Incredible Year
November 21, 1987
Sylvia Mosqueda of Cal State Los Angeles won the individual title at the 1987 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships in Evansville, Indiana, by 24 seconds in 16:57. That remained the largest margin of victory in meet history until seven years later.
May 1, 1988
Sylvia Mosqueda set a blistering pace at the U.S. Women’s Olympic Marathon Trial in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She opened up a 1½-minute advantage through five miles and continued to lead through 17 miles before dropping out not long after. It was noted by Christine Brennan in the Washington Post that “(Eventual winner) Margaret Groos and the others completely lost sight of Mosqueda along some stretches of the hilly, tree-lined course.” (Mosqueda was pulled out of the race by her coach after noticing her toes had ripped through her shoes, which rubbed her feet so raw that her socks filled with blood.)
June 1, 1988
Sylvia Mosqueda, still just days after recovering from a two-week battle against chicken pox and the flu, dominated the 10,000-meter final at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. She took the lead with 21 laps to go and pushed the tempo on her way to a 16-second win, as well as the collegiate record and meet record of 32:28.57.
“The night before the race, my coach (Gudrun Armanski) took me out to the track and told me, ‘You can be champion, if you want,’” Mosqueda recalled to the USTFCCCA earlier this month. “I don’t know if I truly believed him, but I trusted my training. Our game plan was to run the first mile in 5:10 and then do whatever I wanted to from that point on.”
“I wish somebody would have recorded it on video. Now that I’m 54-years old, that race has always stood out in my mind. I can close my eyes and envision the entire 10,000 — just as it was. I would love to know if it looked that way to everybody else, too.”
Mosqueda, who enters her second year as head coach of the cross country and track & field programs at Pepperdine University in 2020, saw her records last for quite a few years.
The collegiate record of 32:28.57 held strong until 1994 when Carole Zajac of Villanova went 32:22.97 at the Penn Relays, while her all-time best at the NCAA final site remained atop the chart for 24 more years after that.
Back in 2018, Sharon Lokedi of Kansas led a squadron of sub-32:30 women at Hayward Field. Lokedi won the NCAA title in a 32:09.20 MR and five other women dipped under Mosqueda’s mark as well: Dorcas Wasike of Louisville – 32:11.81; Karissa Schweizer of Missouri – 32:14.94; Alice Wright of New Mexico – 32:17.92; Charlotte Taylor of San Francisco – 32:17.95; Anna Rohrer of Notre Dame – 32:26.24.
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).