Records are the ultimate form of competition for athletes. However, there is also great pride to be taken in looking back at the top performances in each event and seeing how various athletes compared throughout the history of the program. The girls' performances go back to 1977 with the addition of girls' sports, and the boys' performances go back to 1947.
The difficulty sometimes lies in comparing "apples to apples", as for many years performances were recorded in yards, as well as the use of handheld timing. The lists here convert all races to meters AND electronic times. Accepted world-wide standards were used as conversions in both. There will always be some room for argument, as to possible discrepancies in distances converted, and in the accounting for any possible human error in hand-held timing, or even conditions. But that is the great thing about sport - being able to have those discussions.
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The lists break off on each event for what would be generally accepted "quality" performances. Some events may have the top ten all-time performances, and others will be considerably larger. But that is the beauty of having all-time performance lists vs. simple records - recognizing and celebrating the strength and depth of our athletes' performances over the years.
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Records are outstanding achievements, but our current athletes also find great motivation in striving to make the all-time performances lists, for their spot in history, as they attempt to work their way up these lists.
