Merlene Ottey, Nebraska: Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame, Class of 2022

Merlene Ottey’s first meet in a Nebraska uniform resulted in a world record at a distance she’d never raced before; her last Cornhusker appearance cemented a second NCAA team crown.

Sandwiched between those performances is a sterling career that numbered 12 individual titles in AIAW or NCAA track & field championships – the most by a woman at the Division I level.

And then there are the records, a seemingly countless total. Her freshman year alone saw her set world standards in the 300 yards and 300 meters, then lower the outdoor all-dates collegiate best in the 200 meters to a stunning 22.20 in earning a bronze medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. She would add multiple CRs in the 100 and 200 – in-season and all-dates – as well as a staggering 11 CRs (all world bests) in the indoor 300 yards or 300 meters, both of which were national championship events when she competed.

The zenith of Ottey’s collegiate career came at the 1983 NCAA Outdoor Championships, where she became – and remains – the only woman or man to score in the 100, 200 and 400 in the same meet, winning the 100 and 200 before a third place in the 400 (the latter some 40 minutes after anchoring her 4×100 relay team to second place). Her 28 points earned in that meet remains the second-most by a woman in NCAA history. Later that summer she earned the silver medal in the 100 at the inaugural World Championships.