Texas’ Turner Soared To Triple Jump Greatness

Celebrating A Century of NCAA Track & Field Championships

Texas’ Turner Soared To Triple Jump Greatness

Terri Turner of Texas was a prime part of the early progress of the women’s triple jump at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

When the NCAA instituted the event for the 1984 meet in Eugene, Oregon, Turner was a logical favorite: Turner had set two world bests while winning three Texas UIL state titles while at New Caney High School (near Houston).

Turner didn’t disappoint, winning the inaugural NCAA title by nearly 3 feet with a wind-aided mark of 13.52m (44-4¼). Earlier that season she set the collegiate record (and world best) of 13.21m (43-4¼).

At the 1985 NCAA meet on her home turf in Austin, Turner was one of three 43-foot jumpers and finished third, just ahead of Southern California’s Wendy Brown, who had improved Turner’s CR/world best to 13.58m (44-6¾) in the qualifying round.

The 1986 NCAA championships at Indianapolis showed even more improvement. No one had jumped over 44-feet outdoors coming into the meet, but four did so in qualifying, led by Florida State’s Esmeralda Garcia at 13.68m (44-10¾), a new CR/world best, and Turner’s American record of 13.66m (44-9¾).

In the final, Turner led from the start and won, matching her AR of 44-9¾. Her win was critical for the Longhorns, providing the clinching points as Texas won its first team title in meet history. Turner also ran the second leg on UT’s third-place 4 x 100-meter relay team.

posted: February 1, 2021
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
Tough Keeping Up With This Jones

Jolanda Jones won three heptathlon titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships and scored more than 6000 points twice.

Peters At Head Of Jav U’s Class

Anderson Peters won back-to-back javelin titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships and broke and bettered the meet record twice.

Fitzgerald Hurdled Into The Record Books
June 4, 1983

Benita Fitzgerald won back-to-back 100H titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 1982 & 1983, setting a collegiate record and meet record with her time of 12.84 in 1983.

An Illustrious Career For Charlie Craig

Charlie Craig won the triple jump at the 1964 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Then, after a long coaching career, he was inducted into the USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame!