Cal State L.A.'s student joins elite group of collegiate athletes which includes Jesse Owens

Cal State L.A.'s Nicole Duncan Makes History as the Fourth Athlete Ever to Win the NCAA Championship in the 100 Meter Dash, 200 Meter Dash and Long Jump in the Same Year Joins elite group of collegiate athletes which includes Jesse Owens.

Cal State L.A. fifth-year senior Nicole Duncan (Kingston, Jamaica/Meadowbrook HS) made NCAA history on Saturday night at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships in San Angelo, Texas, becoming the fourth NCAA athlete ever -- regardless of gender or division -- to win the 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash and long jump in the same year.

Duncan also tied the NCAA women's Division II record for individual championships in a year with the three awards. She concludes her collegiate career as the most decorated track and field athlete in Cal State L.A. history with a total of eight NCAA individual titles and 14 All-American awards. Five of those eight NCAA titles came during the 2001-02 school year, adding the indoor long jump and indoor 60 meter dash to the three outdoor championships earned Saturday night.

Duncan opened the night with her 100 meter win in a time of 11.40 seconds, defeating conference-rival Carmelita Jeter of Cal State Dominguez Hills (11.46). After passing on her first long jump attempt (to run the final of the 100 meters), Duncan posted the eventual winning leap of 20' 10 3/4" on her second official attempt. She then set her sights on the 200 meter dash, winning in a time of 23.49 seconds, ahead of Fort Valley State's Nadia Douglas (23.60) to complete the trifecta. Duncan also posted the same 20' 10 3/4" mark on her final attempt of the long jump.

In women's competition, Lisa Dillard accomplished the feat at Division III's Christopher Newport in 1987 while Chandra Sturrup previously was the only Div. II athlete to accomplish that triple (Norfolk State, 1992). On the men's side, only Ohio State's Jesse Owens won those three events in the same year, doing so in both 1935 and 1936.

"I feel real good, but a little overwhelmed at that (fact)," said Duncan, when told she had made NCAA history on Saturday night. "I knew down deep it would happen (winning all three events), but this is still a very good feeling. I didn't want to jinx it after last year. It's been a great day for the Golden Eagles."

Earlier on Saturday, junior teammate Maegan Bergeson (Jr., Oceanside, CA/ Rancho Buena Vista HS) earned All-America honors in the women's javelin, taking seventh place with a throw of 136' 4". Golden Eagle men's senior Taras Rohde (Sr., Fallbrook, CA/Fallbrook HS) also earned All-America honors on Saturday night, finishing seventh in the men's shot put with a throw of 56' 10 3/4".

In the final women's team standings, Cal State L.A. took eighth place with a team score of 32 points, the Golden Eagles best national finish since a third-place showing in 1996. Duncan was responsible for 30 of those points, a total which outscored every women's team at the NCAA meet except for nine. St. Augustine's won the women's crown with 54 points, followed by North Dakota State with 53.

The Cal State L.A. men scored two points with Rohde's seventh-place showing in the shot put, good for 49th place. Abilene Christian won the men's team title with 91 points, followed by St. Augustine's with 88 points.

Among current Division II schools, Cal State L.A. ranks third with an updated total of 17 individual NCAA women's outdoor track and field titles and fourth in the men's standings with 18 individual national titles. Combined, the Cal State L.A. men's and women's track and field programs now have earned 69 individual national championships in school history.

Contact: Chris Hughes, Cal State L.A. Sports Information Director
office phone: (323) 343-5308 … home phone: (310) 471-7438
e-mail: chughes3@calstatela.edu
web: www.calstatela.edu/univ/athletic