The process wasn’t exactly the same, but the results were.
USC’s Angela Williams became the first sprinter — regardless of gender — to win four 100 meter titles at the NCAA Championships on Saturday. Williams narrowly edged teammate Natasha Mayers by 0.01 seconds to claim the trophy.
“That was by a hair,” Williams said after the race. “I barely made it out of that. I had to lean and I’ve never had to lean before.”
Suzy Favor of Wisconsin, who won the 1,500 from 1987 to 1990, and Seilala Sua of UCLA, who won the discus from 1997 to 2000, are the only other women to ever win four NCAA titles in the same event.
“I was feeling so much pressure,” said Williams, who ran 11.29 to Mayers’ 11.30. “When I looked up and realized I had won, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.”
The 5-foot-2-inch Ontario, Calif., native, who holds the collegiate record in the indoor 60-meter dash (7.09), has lived up to the high expectations placed upon her at age 12, when she was dubbed the next Florence Griffith-Joyner.
“What Angela Williams has done for the USC program is immeasurable,” USC head coach Ron Allice said. “If you take a look at our storied history at USC, certainly she is the greatest female athlete to come to USC in track and field.”
Williams led USC to its first NCAA team title in 2001 at Hayward Field. The Trojans finished third at NCAA meet this year in Baton Rouge, La.
“When I won this event as a freshman, I remember the huge roar from the crowd and how it felt to see and hear people cheering for me,” Williams said Saturday. “When I won it tonight, there was that same reaction from the crowd and it felt to me like my career had the proper bookends. When I won as a freshman, that was the first chapter. Now that I’ve won again, it’s another chapter that has been closed. And that makes me feel complete.
“And now, it’s time to start a new book.”