Walt Murphy is one of the finest track geeks that I know. Walt does #ThisDayinTrack&FieldHistory, an excellent daily service that provides true geek stories about our sport. You can check out the service for FREE with a free one-month trial subscription! (email: [email protected] ) for the entire daily service. We will post a few historic moments each day, beginning February 1, 2024.
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This Day in Track & Field—March 31
1962–He had already become the first man to vault 16’ (4.89m) indoors earlier in the year, so it was only fitting that John Uelses would also become the first to do it outdoors, clearing 16-3/4 (4.90m) in Santa Barbara, CA.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,829050,00.html (For Subscribers)
Video: http://www.britishpathe.com/video/world-record-pole-vault-by-uelses
WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men’s_pole_vault_world_record_progression
Sports Illustrated Vault: http://www.si.com/vault/1962/02/26/591327/he-could-do-it-on-bamboo
Wiki Bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Uelses
2018—In one of the greatest Pole Vault competitions in history, France’s Renaud Lavillenie, the World Record holder in the event (at the time), beat Canada’s Shawn Barber and H.S. senior Mondo Duplantis at the Texas Relays. All three cleared 19-5 (5.92). All three missed their three attempts at 19-9 (6.02).
Lavillenie had no misses through the winning height, while Barber missed once at 19-1 (5.82) and Duplantis cleared 19-5 on his 3rd attempt to raise his U.S. and World Junior (and H.S.) Record from 19-4 ¼ (5.90), his winning height at the 2017 Texas Relays.
2023—Texas won the Sprint Medley on their home track at the Texas Relays in 3:36.10, destroying the previous Collegiate Record of 3:38.93 set by Texas A&M at the 2022 Relays.
The event isn’t contested much (if at all) outside the U.S., but only 3 National teams from Jamaica have ever run faster! (3:34.56/2009, 3:34.64/2011, 3:35.37/2011—all at the Penn Relays).
The Longhorns got strong efforts from all 4 runners, with Julien Alfred, the 2023 NCAA Indoor Champion (and Collegiate Record holder) in the 60-meters, and Rhasidat Adeleke, who briefly held the CR in the 400 earlier this year, handling the 200 legs. Kennedy Simon split close to 50 seconds flat on the 400 legs, and Valery Tobias finished things off by running 2:01.3 on the anchor 800 legs!
Arkansas, running without its #1 runner, Britton Wilson, finished a distant 2nd in 3:41.51, but still became the 4th-fastest school in NCAA history!
Sprint Medley All-Time Top-10 College (From T&F News)
(#-mixed nationalities)
3:36.10 Texas # 3/31/23
3:38.93 Texas A&M # 3/25/22
3:38.95 ______Texas # 3/25/22
3:39:04 ————Texas A&M # 4/28/17
3:39.05 Oregon 4/28/17
3:41.51 Arkansas # 3/31/23
3:41.59 Stanford # 4/27/18
3:41.78 Tennessee # 4/23/04
3:41.97 ————Texas 4/29/88
3:42.10 ————Texas A&M # 3/31/17
Top 10 Schools
3:36.10 Texas # 3/31/23
3:38.93 Texas A&M # 3/25/22
3:39.05 Oregon 4/28/17
3:41.51 Arkansas # 3/31/23
3:41.59 Stanford # 4/27/18
3:41.78 Tennessee # 4/23/04
3:42.11 Baylor 4/27/18
3:42.88 Arizona State # 4/28/95
3:43.11 Florida 4/26/91
3:43.17 LSU 4/28/17
