2017 Big 12 Outdoor Championship

The Winningest Athletes In Big 12 Conference History

The Winningest Athletes In Big 12 Conference History

The Big 12 conference has produced many standout athletes from every event group. In the run-up to the Big 12 Outdoor Championships this weekend, FloTrack narrowed down the Big 12 athletes who have won the most NCAA titles.

May 10, 2017 by Taylor Dutch
The Winningest Athletes In Big 12 Conference History
The Big 12 Conference has produced many standout athletes from every event group. In the run-up to the Big 12 Outdoor Championship this weekend, FloTrack narrowed down the athletes who have won the most NCAA titles while competing in the conference. In order to make the list, athletes needed to earn at least three NCAA crowns during their college careers.

Watch the 2017 Big 12 Outdoor Championship LIVE on FloTrack

Sally Kipyego (Texas Tech '09)

- 3 NCAA indoor 5K titles
- 3 NCAA XC titles
- 1 NCAA outdoor 10K title
- 1 NCAA outdoor 5K title
- 1 NCAA indoor 3K title 

While competing at Texas Tech from 2006-09, Sally Kipyego earned a whopping nine NCAA crowns in a range of distance events, missing the NCAA record by just one title. She was also the first woman in history to capture three NCAA cross country championships. After Kipyego graduated, she went on to earn a silver medal in the 5K at the 2012 Olympic Games and a silver medal at the 2011 World Championships. She also recently finished second at the New York City Marathon. 

Lisa (Koll) Uhl (Iowa State '10)

- 2 NCAA outdoor 10K titles
- 1 NCAA outdoor 5K title
- 1 NCAA indoor 5K title

Lisa Uhl, then Koll, not only made Big 12 history while competing for Iowa State, but she also rewrote the record books in the women's 10K. While competing at the 2010 Payton Jordan Invitational, Uhl broke the NCAA 10K record with a stunning 31:18 performance. After earning four NCAA distance crowns, Uhl went on to compete at the 2012 Olympic Games, where she earned a 13th-place finish in the 10K. 



Leo Manzano (Texas '08)

- 2 NCAA outdoor 1500m titles
- 2 NCAA indoor mile titles

Leo Manzano captured four NCAA crowns in his respective middle distance events while competing for the University of Texas. Manzano was also part of the still-standing collegiate record in the distance medley relay. In his long career, Manzano has competed on two Olympic teams and five world championship teams, highlighted by a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games. 

Watch Manzano reflect on his 2008 Olympic year:



Adam Goucher (Colorado '98)

- 1 NCAA outdoor 5K title
- 1 NCAA cross country title
- 2 NCAA indoor 3K titles

While competing at Colorado, Adam Goucher emerged as one of the most dominant distance runners in the country. He earned four NCAA crowns and graduated with personal bests of 13:31 in the 5K and 7:46 in the 3K. Goucher went on to compete as a finalist on four world championship teams and finished 13th in the 5K at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

Jessica Beard (Texas A&M '11)

- 2 NCAA outdoor titles (400m, 4x400m)
- 2 NCAA indoor titles (400m, 4x400m) 

While competing at Texas A&M, Beard won the prestigious Bowerman Award after becoming the third woman in history to win NCAA titles in the outdoor and indoor 400m, outdoor 4x400m, and indoor 4x400m. Her final leg of 49.13 in the 4x400m was a meet record and clinched Texas A&M's third straight NCAA championship. Beard competed on three world championship-winning 4x400m teams for the United States. 

Courtney Okolo (Texas '16)

- 4 NCAA outdoor titles (2 in the 400m, 2 in the 4x400m)
- 4 NCAA indoor titles (2 in the 400m, 2 in the 4x400m)

Former Longhorn Courtney Okolo graduated as one of the most decorated NCAA talents in history. While competing at Texas, Okolo earned eight NCAA titles and broke the NCAA record in the 400m. She also won a world indoor championship in the 4x400m as a member of Team USA. Her 400m record of 49.71 was set last year at the LSU Alumni Gold meet. After graduating in the spring of 2016, Okolo went on to win gold as a member of the 4x400m at the Olympic Games. 

Watch how Okolo prepared for last year's Big 12 championship:



Mark Boswell (Texas '00)

- 2 NCAA outdoor high jump titles
- 2 NCAA indoor high jump titles

High jump star Mark Boswell earned four NCAA high jump titles at Texas. He also competed for Canada as a finalist in five world championships and two Olympic Games, highlighted by a silver medal at the 1999 world championships and a bronze medal at the 2003 world championships. 

Scott Sellers (Kansas State '09)

- 2 NCAA outdoor high jump titles
- 1 NCAA indoor high jump title

The Kansas State high jumper earned three NCAA crowns. He is also one of the most decorated athletes in KSU history with eight All-American titles to his name, which at the time, was the most of any track athlete who came through the program.

Jenny (Barringer) Simpson (Colorado '09)

- 3 NCAA outdoor steeplechase titles
- 1 NCAA indoor 3K title

Jenny Simpson, then Barringer, established herself as a game changer in the women's steeplechase while competing at Colorado. She won three NCAA titles in the event and broke the American record as a collegian. Simpson also set multiple still-standing NCAA records in a range of events--1500m (3:59), 5000m (15:07), indoor mile (4:25), indoor 3000m (8:42). After graduating, Simpson went on to earn a world title in the 1500m and most recently an Olympic bronze medal in the same event. 

Watch this video that shows the power of the Big 12 rivalry between Simpson and Kipyego:



Ryan Crouser (Texas '16)

- 2 NCAA outdoor shot put titles
- 2 NCAA indoor shot put titles

Ryan Crouser is one of the most recent Big 12 standouts to make history. While competing at Texas, he earned four NCAA crowns in the shot put and set the indoor collegiate record with a toss of 21.73m at last year's Big 12 Indoor Championships. After winning his final NCAA outdoor crown, Crouser went on to win the 2016 Olympic Trials in a then-personal best of 21.11m. He ended his season as an Olympic champion with a stunning mark of 22.52m in Rio.



Destinée Hooker (Texas '09)

null- 3 NCAA outdoor high jump titles
- 1 NCAA indoor high jump title

A multi-sport talent, Destinee Hooker not only won four NCAA high jump titles while at Texas, but she also was an All-American on the volleyball team. Her indoor high jump best of 1.98m that won the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championship still stands as an NCAA indoor record. Hooker turned professional in 2009 and starred on Team USA's volleyball team that earned silver at the 2012 Olympic Games. 

Erin Aldrich (Texas '00)

- 2 NCAA outdoor high jump titles
- 2 NCAA indoor high jump titles

While competing at Texas, Erin Aldrich excelled as a two-sport All-American in track and volleyball. She won four NCAA high jump titles and six Big 12 crowns. She is also only one of two volleyball players to record at least 450 kills, 300 digs, and 150 blocks in a single season. She went on to compete for Team USA in the high jump at the 2000 Olympic Games. She also enjoyed a professional volleyball career that lasted until 2007. 

Donovan Kilmartin (Texas '08)

- 3 NCAA indoor heptathlon titles

The former Longhorn claimed three NCAA indoor heptathlon titles and finished fifth at the World Indoor Championships while competing as a collegian.

Andrea Geubelle (Kansas '13)

- 2 NCAA indoor triple jump titles
- 1 NCAA indoor long jump title

Kansas graduate Andrea Geubelle is not only a three-time NCAA champion, but she is also partially responsible for the rise of the women's triple jump in recent years. After her senior season, she won the 2013 USATF Outdoor Championships. And in 2016, Geubelle finally hit the Olympic standard and finished in the top three at the Olympic Trials, where she made her first Olympic team. She was one of three U.S. women to hit the standard and compete at the Games. It was the strongest combined triple jump performance for Americans in 20 years. 

Tia Brooks (Oklahoma '13)

- 2 NCAA outdoor shot put titles
- 2 NCAA indoor shot put titles

The former Oklahoma Sooner dominated the shot put while competing in the NCAA. Tia Brooks claimed four NCAA crowns and broke the then-collegiate record in the event. She went on to compete for Team USA at the 2013 World Championships and finished seventh overall. She also competed on the 2015 World Championship team in Beijing. 

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