Birthday girl Julien Alfred celebrated with three gold medals and a national team title as the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships concluded in Austin, Texas on Saturday night.

Within a span of just over 90 minutes, the St Lucian track star, who turned 22, won gold in the 4x100m relay, 100m and 200m to close a stellar collegiate career and make the case of being the greatest female sprinter in NCAA Track and Field history, according to winning coach Eldrick Floreal.

“Without a doubt the greatest sprinter in NCAA history,” said Floreal, who guided the Longhorns to their first title in 18 years.

It would be difficult to dispute Floreal’s declaration considering what Alfred, who has lost once this season, managed to accomplish on Saturday.

She began the evening by leading the Texas Longhorn 4x100m relay gold in 41.60, the second fastest in NCAA history. Only the 41.55 they ran in the semi-finals on Thursday night is faster.

The University of Kentucky was almost a second behind in 42.46 with LSU third in 42.52.

Approximately, 50 minutes later Alfred stormed to victory in the 100m in a fantastic time of 10.72s that was only ‘ruined’ by a trailing wind that was at 2.3 m/s, slightly over the maximum allowable limit of 2.00 m/s.

Oklahoma’s Kennedy Blackmon ran 10.87 to take the silver medal while Tennessee’s Jacious Sears clocked 10.94 to win the bronze medal.

Alfred’s Texas teammate Kevona Davis was fifth in 10.98s.

Forty-five minutes later, Alfred was at it again pulling off a dominant performance to win the 200m in 21.73, which was again blighted by a trailing wind of 2.5m/s.

Finishing in her wake was Ole Miss’ McKenzie Long who stopped the clock at 21.88s and Davis, who was third in 22.02.

Afterwards, Alfred showered praise Coach Floreal, who helped her achieve success in her time at Texas.

"My coach has been my biggest influence in my life, my five years here at Texas," she said. "Prior to beginning the championships, I went to speak to him, and he said let’s not focus on myself, focus on the team. That changed the pressure. It made a huge difference."

Alfred wasn’t the only standout during these championships for Texas. While the St Lucian was busy tearing up the track, Ackelia Smith, who Floreal also singled out for praise, followed up her victory in the long jump on Thursday night with a personal best 14.54m in the triple to win silver behind Florida’s Jasmine Moore.

The Florida freshman produced an NCAA meet record of 14.78m, a new lifetime best as well as facility record.

Ruta Lasmane of Texas Tech was third with 14.21m.

Perhaps, the race of the night was the 100m hurdles that featured the three best collegiate hurdlers this season – Arkansas’ Ackera Nugent, LSU’s Alia Armstrong and Kentucky’s Masai Russell.

With a strong wind of 3.8m/s behind their backs, a condition that usually makes it difficult for sprint hurdlers, the three women running next to each in other in the centre of the track unleashed an epic battle that saw the Jamaican Nugent emerging victorious in 12.26s even after clipping the final hurdle.

Russell hit a hurdle early but managed to compose herself and storm past Armstrong and into second in 12.31. Armstrong, the fastest of the three, hit a hurdle mid-race, lost her momentum but managed to right herself and take the bronze in 12.49.

All season long Arkansas’ Britton Wilson dominated the 400m and was favoured to win gold, especially after dropping a lifetime best of 49.13 to win the SEC title in May.

On Thursday, she ran a fast 49.36 to win her semi-final, solidifying her position of gold-medal favourite. However, someone forgot to tell Texas’ Rhasidat Adeleke, who produced a powerful surge down the home stretch to take victory in 49.20, a massive personal best which broke Wilson’s two-day-old facility and meet record.

Wilson was second in 49.64. Her teammate Nickisha Price, who is from Jamaica, ran a personal best 50.23 for third place. Price later helped Arkansas win the 4x400m title in 3:24.05 in a dominant performance over Texas A&M (3:26.12) and Ohio State (3:26.72).

In 2022, Lamara Distin dominated the high jump in Division 1, winning both indoor and outdoor titles while soaring to new height of 1.97m outdoors, a national record.

However, after equaling that height indoors earlier this season, Distin was unable to replicate that performance on Saturday and it proved costly.

The Texas A&M senior could only muster 1.87m, a height not good enough to successful defend her title that went to Charity Griffith of Ball State who sailed over a personal best 1.93m.

Elena Kulichenko of the University of Georgia took the bronze having also cleared 1.87m but Distin was better on the count back.

At the end of it all and thanks mainly to Alfred’s 30 points, Texas amassed 83 points, 32 more than Florida (51) with Arkanas third with 46 points.

Oregon (44) and Texas A&M (36) rounded out the top five schools.