X-Man Reigned At 2006 NCAA Meet
The X-Men are fictional superheroes.
The X-Man, however, is very, very real.
Back in 2006, Xavier Carter authored comic-book-like performances at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Sacramento, California, when he became the first man since Jesse Owens to win four national titles at the same outdoor meet and completed the only 100-400 double in meet history in the process.
“It probably won’t really hit me for a few weeks,” Carter told Track & Field News of his cornucopia of crowns. “But, as I think about it, Owens is a legend, so I feel honored to be mentioned in the same sentence as him.”
Busy doesn’t even begin to describe Carter 14 years ago.
For Carter to even score in each of the four events he contested – 100, 400, 4×100, 4×400 – he would have to compete nine times across a four-day span, beginning on Wednesday with heats of the 400 and 4×100, then concluding on Saturday with finals of the 100, 400 and 4×400.
Carter kicked off his four-title quest on Friday as part of LSU’s 4×100 relay team. He took the baton second from Richard Thompson, blew past the rest of the competitors on the backstretch and gave Marvin Stevenson and Kelly Willie leads they would never relinquish. The Tigers won in 38.44 and by 0.42 seconds, the fastest winning time in six years and the largest margin of victory since Houston won by 0.50 seconds in 1982.
Defending champion Walter Dix of Florida State stood in Carter’s way in the 100, but nothing would faze the burgeoning star this weekend. Carter started a bit slow, caught up to Dix and Demi Omole of Wisconsin with about 15 meters left and powered through the finish line. It was a 10.09 PR for Carter and a 0.09-second victory over Dix, who’d win again in 2007.
Less than 30 minutes later, Carter was back on the track for the 400. It might have looked as if fatigue began to settle in as Carter sat near last in the first 100 meters of the race, yet the LSU standout only got stronger as the race progressed. He blistered a 10.3 split between 100 and 200 and closed the final 200 meters in 22.9 to post a 44.53 PR and a 0.18-second victory.
All that was left for Carter was the 4×400, an event in which the Tigers set a 2:59.59 CR the previous year at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with him on the anchor leg (Carter split 44.0). This race wasn’t nearly as fast (3:01.58) – but that wasn’t an issue. Carter toted the baton around in 45.5 and crossed the finish line first, completing his impressive haul of NCAA titles.
While an Olympic or World Championships medal never came his way, Carter sure left his mark on the world all-time chart. Carter went 19.63 over 200 meters in 2006 for what was the second fastest mark in world history at the time behind Michael Johnson’s 19.32 WR (That race featured some future heavy hitters on the world stage: Tyson Gay finished runner-up in 19.70 PB; Usain Bolt finished third in 19.88 PB).
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.