Alfred won gold medals in the 4x100m relay, 100m and 200m to accomplish perfect end to her collegiate career.
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.
Leighton Levy is a journalist with 28 years’ experience covering crime, entertainment, and sports. He joined the staff at SportsMax.TV as a content editor two years ago and is enjoying the experience of developing sports content and new ideas. At SportsMax.tv he is pursuing his true passion - sports.
Distin named Texas A&M Female Athlete of the Year at school’s Legacy Awards
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Lamara Distin added another award to her growing trophy cabinet by being named at the Texas A&M Female Athlete of the Year at the school’s annual Legacy Awards on Monday.
The Legacy Awards recognize Texas A&M student-athletes’ accomplishments for various academic, service, leadership and athletic endeavors from March 2023 to March 2024.
Distin, a two-time Jamaican national champion, dominated the SEC and NCAA high jump scene by adding a pair of SEC titles at the 2023 Outdoor and 2024 Indoor Championships, bringing her career total to five SEC high jump titles.
She logged a pair of runner-up finishes at the 2023 outdoor and 2024 indoor national championships, garnering her fifth and sixth First-Team All-America honors.
At the 2024 SEC Indoor Championships, the 24-year-old broke the NCAA Indoor high jump record clearing 2.00m, becoming the first collegiate woman to clear the 2.00m mark indoor or outdoor.
Alfred runs 22.58 to win 200m at Mt. Sac Relays
St. Lucian star sprinter Julien Alfred opened her 2024 outdoor season with a pair of victories at the Mt. Sac Relays in Walnut, California on Saturday.
The 2023 Bowerman Award winner first produced 22.58 to win the 200m ahead of training partners Rhasidat Adeleke (22.61) and 2019 World champion Dina Asher-Smith (22.80).
Alfred then returned to team up with Adeleke, Asher-Smith and Lanae Tava-Thomas and win the women’s elite 4x100m relay in 42.03 ahead of Formula Kersee (Keni Harrison, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Jenna Prandini, Morolake Akinosun) who ran 42.93 and the Ivory Coast who ran 43.17.
In the field, Jamaican Ralford Mullings threw 64.43m to win the men’s discus ahead of Turner Washington (63.64m) and Jordan Roach (61.45m).
Mills stresses significance of Racers Grand Prix to young athletes' development
Celebrated coach and Racers Track Club President Glen Mills says the value of meets such as the Racers Grand Prix cannot be overstated, given the significant role it plays in the development of the country’s young athletes in particular.
Mills’s comments came as he announced the plethora of local and international stars that are expected to set this year’s sixth edition of the Racers Grand Prix alight at the National Stadium on June 1.
Among them is American World champion Noah Lyles, who clocked a superb 19.67s to win the 200m, sharing the spotlight with Jamaica's Shericka Jackson and South African Wayde Van Niekerk last year.
He is set to line up in the men’s 100m on this occasion, alongside rising Jamaican sensation Oblique Seville, World University champion Kadrian Goldson, Great Britain’s World Championships bronze medallist Zharnel Hughes, Canadian Aaron Brown and American Kendal Williams, with two more athletes to be confirmed.
According to Mills, who was instrumental in the decorated career of now-retired Usain Bolt, having young athletes compete on home soil against world class superstars not only drives their development, but also influences positive behavioural changes towards training.
Reigning 400m World champion Antonio Watson is one such example, as he broke the 45-second barrier for the first time on his debut outing at the event last year, and he later followed that up by topping a quality field in Budapest, Hungary.
“A meet of this level is very important in development of our athletes, and I don't think we can underscore its value in their development as a coach. I can tell you, when we have them competing here in Jamaica against the world and the fans come out and really cheer for them, it makes a difference when they return to the training field,” Mills said during the event’s launch at the Jamaica Pegasus on Tuesday.
“They know and feel the support and the energy and electricity. When that happens, we get better performances on the training track, and as you can see, it goes on to the international stage as well. So, thank you for supporting Racers Grand Prix all and I'm hoping to see everyone on June 1,” he added.
Known globally as Jamaica’s foremost track and field meet credited with showcasing many of Jamaica’s most decorated athletes, Racers Grand Prix, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver event, promises an exhilarating demonstration of athletic excellence.
There are 13 events –men’s and women’s 100m, 200m, 400m and 400m hurdles, women’s 100m hurdles, men’s 110m hurdles, as well as the men’s long jump, triple jump and discus throw –to be contested across two-and-a-half hours of scintillating action starting at 7:00pm.
The women's 100m hurdles is headlined by Bahamas’s World Indoor champion Devynne Charlton, and Great Britain’s Cindy Sember, up against Jamaica’s Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper and rising Jamaican sensation Ackera Nugent.
For the men’s 110m hurdles, Jamaica’s Olympic champion Hansle Parchment will lead compatriots Damion Thomas and last year’s champion Tyler Mason, against the American duo of Trey Cunningham and Robert Dunning.
World champion Antonio Watson headlines the field for the men’s 400m, which includes Champion Allison and Nigerian NCAA champion Emmanuel Bamidele. Demish Gaye, Zandrion Barnes and Javon Francis, are the other Jamaicans confirmed.
Meanwhile, World Indoor champion Julien Alfred of St Lucia headlines the women’s 100m field, alongside Jamaica’s Alana Reid, Ashanti Moore and World Indoor silver medallist Mikiah Brisco, with four more ladies to be confirmed.
World Championships finalist Roshawn Clarke headlines the men’s 400m hurdles field, while Ireland’s NCAA Champion Rhasidat Adeleke will square off against Jamaica’s Stacy Ann Williams, Candice McLeod, Charokee Young, and Junelle Bromfield in the women’s 400m.
American Will Abbey Steiner and Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards top the list of competitors for the men’s and women’s 200m. In the field, Jamaica’s Jaydon Hibbert and American Will Claye lead the confirmed athletes for the men’s triple jump, while another Jamaican Carey McLeod, and Laquan Nairn of Bahamas, will line up in the long jump, with three more athletes to be confirmed.
Mills explained that they are currently in discussions with several athletes, but is awaiting confirmation before revealing the names.
“We are still five weeks away and so we are still working with athletes to finalise contracts. I can’t call the names as yet, but we can guarantee a meet of the highest level and the best quality athletes worth watching,” Mills noted.
Tickets for the event goes on sale online on May 1, with grandstand finish line valued at $5,000, regular grandstand $3,000, while bleachers tickets have been dropped to $500.
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