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.”
The 2022 Commonwealth Games 100m silver medallist, who ran 6.97, a new personal best and NCAA and national record, to win the 60m earlier on Saturday, showed the same awesome form to set a new meet record in the 200m as well.
The 21-year-old ran 22.26, another personal best, to win comfortably ahead of teammate Lanae Thomas (22.63) and Texas tech’s Rosemary Chukwuma (22.68).
Jamaican Texas sophomore Kevona Davis was fourth in 22.76.
Texas’ Alfred, who set a then-meet record of 7.03 in the heats on Friday, became the first woman in NCAA history to break the 7-second barrier by speeding to 6.97 to win Saturday’s final ahead of Texas Tech junior Rosemary Chukwuma (7.17) and Alfred’s Texas teammate Ezinne Abba (7.17). Alfred’s time.
The St. Lucian senior now owns the six fastest 60m times in NCAA history and 6.97 puts the 21-year-old in a three-way tie for eighth on the all-time list alongside the Ivory Coast’s Murielle Ahoure and the USVI’s Laverne Jones-Ferrette.
It also puts her second in the world in 2023 behind American Aleia Hobbs’ 6.94 at the US Indoor Championships in New Mexico on February 18.
Elsewhere, Jamaican Texas Tech senior Demisha Roswell produced a time of 8.04 to defend her 60m hurdles title. Kansas’ Gabrielle Gibson ran 8.11 for second while Iowa State’s Katarina Vlahovic ran 8.25 for third.
Alfred was among four women tied for the highest number of points scored, took the 60m dash and the 200m title to continue her incredible run of form this season. The St. Lucian star was also a member of the Longhorns winning 4x400m team.
Going into the 60m with a personal and season’s best time of 7.10, Alfred lived up to expectations, crossing the line in a meet record 7.15 over Oklahoma State’s Aaliyah Birmingham and breaking a 23-year-old facility record and the 16-year-old meet record held by Longhorns legend Sanya Richards-Ross.
“I’ve been trying to go after it (the record) but I don’t like to think about times because when I think about times I get nervous and I don’t execute my race as well,” she said afterwards.
Unlike the 60m, Alfred was not favoured to win the 200m. However, her winning time of 23.02 was good enough to take the gold as she became the first Texas woman to win the Big 12 60 and 200 titles since Marshevet Hooker in 2006.
Alfred said the 200m victory was the sweeter of the two victories.
“The 200 gave me more pleasure because I don’t really like it and just knowing that I am a lot more stronger in the event makes me happy,” said Alfred who was fifth in the Big 12 60m final last year.
She was second in the 100 and third in 200 outdoors, but she missed the rest of the postseason when she tripped and fell at the NCAA West Preliminary Round.
“I am very hungry for this season,” Alfred said. “When I went out last season, it made me feel bad I missed out so much. I need to get my team points at the national level.”
Jones, 21, won in 20.21 ahead of Houston Senior Shaun Maswanganyi (20.41) and Jamaican Baylor Senior Demar Francis (20.60).
Jones also holds Bahamian records in the 60m (6.45) and 100m (9.91), alongside 2007 World Championship silver medallist Derrick Atkins.
The women’s 400m saw Jamaican Texas Sophomore Dejanea Oakley produce a personal best 51.75 to take gold ahead of Iowa State Sophomore Rachel Joseph (51.98) and Texas Senior Ziyah Holman (52.22).
Oakley completed an excellent individual meet with another personal best, 22.86, to take the runner-up spot in the 200m. TCU Junior Iyana Gray took gold in 22.71 while Texas Tech Senior Rosemary Chukwuma took bronze in 22.90.
The men’s 400m saw St. Lucian Kansas Junior Michael Joseph set a personal best and break his own national record to win gold in 45.46. Jamaican Texas Tech Sophomore Shaemar Uter ran 45.68 for silver while Baylor Junior Nathaniel Ezekiel took third in 45.73.
In the field, Jamaican Texas Junior Ackelia Smith was dominant in the women’s long jump, producing 6.74m to win comfortably ahead of Baylor Senior Alexis Brown (6.45m) and Texas freshman Aaliyah Foster (6.34m).
Texas Tech won the men’s team title by 60 points, finishing with 152 points. Oklahoma State (92), Texas (89), Kansas (81) and Iowa State (67.5) rounded out the top five.
On the women’s side, Texas won the title with 135 points while Texas Tech (104), Oklahoma State (103.5), BYU (71) and Baylor (44) rounded out the top five.
