The 18-year-old Jamaican, a freshman at Baylor University is only the third Baylor athlete to be named women's outstanding freshman of the year indoors and first since Morgan Stewart in 2018.
"You are what you repeatedly do every day," Nugent said. "Excellence is not an act, but a habit. I really am honoured that I was chosen for Big 12 Women's Outstanding Freshman of the Year."
The former Excelsior High School student raced to a time of 7.91 in the preliminaries of the 60m hurdles at the Big 12 Indoor Championship, setting the Baylor school record and tying the best under-20 mark in world history.
If ratified, it would be deemed the U20 World Record in the women's 60m hurdles. She already holds the U18 100m hurdles world record.
Nugent finished second in the finals, clocking 7.98 behind 2019 NCAA Indoor Champion Chanel Brissett of Texas.
Nugent burst onto the scene at the Aggie Invitational on Jan. 23, clocking in at 8:08 to hold the No. 2 spots in both the Big 12 and NCAA at the time. With a now-adjusted time of 7.93, Nugent remains No. 2 in both the Big 12 and NCAA and is tied for ninth in the world.
Her rookie season performances have impressed Baylor Head Coach Todd Harbour.
“Ackera being a freshman, this is not unexpected, but she battled injury a little bit in the middle of the season and didn't run a couple meets,” Harbour said.
“For her to have that kind of race at conference to finish off her indoor season to this point heading into the NCAA meet was awesome. It was a great performance for her, and a prelude of things to come, I believe.”
Nugent, the reigning World U20 champion, is the second fastest Jamaican woman in the world this year after running a personal best of 12.45 at the Big 12 Championships at Lubbock, Texas on May 15. Only fellow Jamaican, Demisha Roswell of Texas Tech, who ran 12.44 to beat Nugent at the Big 12 Conference Championships, has run faster this season.
The 20-year-old Nugent, a sophomore at Baylor University revealed on social media Thursday that the severity of the injury makes it impossible for her to carry on this season.
“With my ankle, this year has been a roller coaster but that has never stopped me from going out there and giving it my all,” she posted on Instagram.
“As a fighter, you have to know when to stop fighting and let go and I just wanted to let you know my season is over. I will not be competing in the NCAA Championship not will I be competing in the national senior trials this year.
“However, God has helped me along the way to have accomplished my main goal this year and I am at peace.”
Nugent’s absence will take away from the much-anticipated clashes at the NCAA Championships against the likes of the LSU pair of Alia Armstrong and Tonea Marshall as well as Roswell.
At the Jamaica National Senior Championships, she would have faced Roswell as well as 2015 World Champion Danielle Williams and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Megan Tapper.
Nugent, a Sophomore at Baylor clocked a fast 7.91, a facility record, to take the sprint hurdles title ahead of Texas Longhorn Milan Young (8.08). Nugent’s Jamaican compatriot Demisha Roswell, a Junior at Texas Tech claimed the bronze medal in 8.20.
Roswell’s Texas Tech freshman teammate, Vashaun Vascianna, won the men’s title in 7.75. The former St Jago and Kingston College hurdler won his preliminary round heat in 7.70 on Friday.
For the Texas Longhorns, Julien Alfred, Tyra Gittens and Stacey-Ann Williams were all on the podium during the two-day championships.
The Longhorns swept the 400m dash, with Kennedy Simon's diving effort of 51.54 seconds to win her first 400m conference title. Jamaica’s Stacey Ann Williams finished just behind in second at 51.60 seconds, while sophomore Rhasidat Adeleke completed the sweep in third with a time of 52.33.
Texas also enjoyed another sweep in the 200m where St Lucia’s star sprinter Julien Alfred took the title with a time of 22.89 seconds. Kynnedy Flannel was second in 23.02 seconds, while Jamaica’s Kevona Davis finished third in 23.30 seconds.
Alfred was a second-place finisher in the 60m dash, clocking 7.17 seconds, losing by 0.02 to Texas Tech Sophomore Rosemary Chukwuma. Flannel added a third-place finish at 7.30 while Davis added a fifth-place finish at 7.33 seconds.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Tyra Gittens won the silver in the high jump, clearing 1.84m. She was fourth in the long jump competition.
Meanwhile, Baylor’s Women that featured Jamaica’s Kavia Francis would take the 4x400m title in 3:32.77 ahead of Texas Tech (3:35.06) and Oklahoma State (3:36.22).
Nugent, who turns 18, on Wednesday, April 29, has been an outstanding athlete for Jamaica and her high school.
In February 2019, she set a World U18 world record in the 100m hurdles at the Youngster Goldsmith track meet at the National Stadium in Kingston breaking fellow Jamaican Yanique Thompson’s record set in 2013 at the World U18 Championships in Ukraine.’
Nugent also boasts a 100m personal best of 11.42, the seventh fastest U18 time in the world.
In October 2018, Nugent, then just 16, demonstrated her quality at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aries, Argentina. Running on a sprained ankle, the soft-spoken Jamaican won a bronze medal in the 100m hurdles.
Francis will join Nugent at Baylor as a prospect for the 400m, an event in which she has a personal best of 53.38, which ranks her seventh in the world for U20 athletes. She ran the time to win gold at the 2020 Central Championships in Jamaica in February. She was also a key member of Holmwood Technical's powerful 4x400m relay team.
Baylor has had a history of producing world-class athletes.
World and Olympic Champions Michael Johnson and Jeremy Wariner both attended Baylor. Trayvon Bromell, who won a bronze medal in the 100m at the 2015 World Championships also attended Baylor University.
