Walter Dix
Hannah England
Led by FSU's All-American Walter Dix—one of the best sprinters in college history—the FSU men's track & field team won its third consecutive title at the NCAA outdoors championships. This is the first time an FSU athletic team has taken three national championships in a row.
Sophomore Hannah England—with her sights on the Beijing Olympics—broke multiple records in the 1500m to help the women finish 12th.
With the team's third national championship on the line, there was no one else the Florida State men's track & field team would have wanted in the blocks than Dix.
Ten points shy of a guaranteed tie and 11 points out of their third-consecutive national victory, the Seminoles needed two things to happen in the men's 200m dash: sophomore Charles Clark needed to finish the race, and Dix needed to win it all.
They got both.
Dix flew around the north bend of the track at Drake Stadium and crossed the line in 20.40, four-hundredths of a second ahead of his nearest competition, giving him his third consecutive outdoor victory in the 200m. The win also gave Dix, the most decorated runner in Florida State history, his 18th All-American honor and his eighth national championship.
Clark, still trying to recover from an injury in the 200m semifinals on Thursday night, may actually have had the more difficult task of the two. But the sophomore wasn't about to let his team down, and so he came drifting across the finish line to earn the one point Florida State needed to seal their triple crown.
"It never gets old," said head coach Bob Braman. "The first one maybe a little bit more sweeter because you don't know if you're ever going to do it. We had gotten relatively close a couple of times. They're agonizing because the standard is so high, but at the end we're so proud; we come back home, it's such a big thing for Florida State and Tallahassee."
On the women's side, sophomore Hannah England decided her name belonged in the history books as well. England blasted her competition in the 1500m to cross the line in 4:06.19. Not only was it her personal best, it was the best in Drake Stadium history, the best in collegiate races this year and most importantly, the best the NCAA Championships had ever seen.
"Unbelievable," said Braman of England's accomplishment. "She was undefeated the whole outdoor season, which is just amazing. She had an amazing race and to be able to pull away from Sally Kipyego was unbelievable."
In all, the men picked up nine All-American awards and two individual national titles en route to their third national title in as many years.
With an incredible 18 All-American honors and eight national championships, Dix, who graduated from FSU this spring with a degree in social sciences, walked away with one of the best sprinting careers in collegiate history.
His long list of accolades also includes the 2007 USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Track Athlete of the Year Award, the 2005 & 2007 USTFCCCA NCAA East Region Athlete of the Year honor, two ACC Rookie of the Year awards (indoor and outdoor 2005) and the 2007 ACC Outdoor Track Performer of the Year title.