Ncaa Division I

This prestigious honour adds to Lyston's list of accolades, making her the first LSU athlete to claim the title since Tonea Marshall in 2020. Notably, LSU now holds the record for the most regional indoor track athlete of the year awards in the region, with six to their name.

Lyston's remarkable performance at the NCAA Indoor Championships solidified her status as one of the top athletes in collegiate track and field.

She clinched the gold medal in the women's 60m, setting a new LSU record with a breathtaking time of 7.03 seconds. This victory not only made her the first Tiger since Aleia Hobbs in 2018 to win NCAA gold in the event but also elevated her to the second position in collegiate history among 60m runners, trailing only behind the 2023 Bowerman award winner, Julien Alfred.

Prior to her triumph at the NCAA championships, Lyston demonstrated her prodigious talent at the SEC Indoor Championships, where she claimed the women's 60m title with a meet-record time of 7.08 seconds.

This achievement marked a significant milestone in her career, especially considering her absence from a substantial portion of the previous indoor and outdoor seasons.

As Lyston prepares to transition to the outdoor season, she remains determined to continue her success on the track. Scheduled to make her outdoor debut at the Hurricane Invitational, she is set to compete in the 100m, 4x100m relay, and the 4x400m relay, demonstrating her versatility and prowess as one of the top collegiate athletes.

Nugent, 19, set a new meet record of 8.11 for the 60m hurdles in the preliminary round and smashed it in the final, running a personal best of 7.90. The winning time was also a new track record, facility record and meet record.

The time moves Nugent to the 11th spot all-time in collegiate indoor track competition and the best-ever U20 time. Her teammate, Kennedy Bailey finished in second place with a time of 8.3 seconds.

For her efforts, Nugent was one of four MVPs at the meet alongside teammates Johnny Brackins who won the triple jump and Tuesdi Tidwell, who triumphed in the pole vault.

Meanwhile, Nugent’s compatriot Kavia Francis and teammates Mariah Ayers, Aaliyah Miller and Gontse Morake finished with a silver medal and a time of 3:40.87 in the 4x400m relay.