Tyra Gittens was golden at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Indoor Track and Field Championships in Texas, USA, last Friday, dominating her rivals to claim top spot in the women’s pentathlon.

The Texas A&M University junior accumulated 4,391 points in the five-discipline event to improve on her own Trinidad and Tobago record of 4,276. The impressive total was also a new Texas A&M record and the top American collegiate score this season. Gittens jumped to number nine on the 2020 world performance list.

Gittens was fifth fastest in the 60 metres hurdles in 8.52 seconds. The 21-year-old outclassed the field in the high jump, clearing the bar at an indoor best 1.86 metres. She then threw 13.05m in the shot put. Gittens followed up with a 6.27m leap in the long jump, and then closed off her pentathlon campaign with an indoor best two minutes, 32.76 seconds in the 800m.

“I’m amazed,” said Gittens, following her golden pentathlon performance. “I came in today and just wanted to make sure I was consistent through all of my events. I wasn’t expecting to win, but I knew once everything came together I could put on a good score. That’s exactly what happened today. Even though I expected a little more out of three of my events, everything else was consistent. I’m just so happy that I was able to provide that win for my team, because every point counts.”

Gittens bagged bronze in the individual high jump with a 1.85m clearance. And in the long jump, she disturbed the sand at 6.27m to finish fourth. Gittens secured 21 points at the two-day SEC meet, earning the Women’s Cliff Harper Award as the top female scorer.

University of Alabama junior Cherisse Murray threw 16.17m to claim bronze in the women’s shot put. Akanni Hislop produced a 20.78 seconds run to finish second in his section and fourth overall in the men’s 200m finals. The Louisiana State University (LSU) sprinter stopped the clock at an indoor best 20.76 in the preliminaries. Hislop was sixth in the 60m final in 6.75 seconds. In the qualifying round, he had clocked 6.65 to equal his personal best.

University of Kentucky junior Dwight St Hillaire got home in an indoor best 46.58 seconds for sixth spot overall in the men’s 400m finals. Alabama’s Jacob St Clair was 19th in the event in 47.85.

At the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Championships, in Alabama, Lisa Wickham bolted to the line in a meet record time of 7.27 seconds to strike gold in the women’s 60m dash. Her Tennessee Tech University teammate, Anya Akili finished 10th overall in the women’s 400m in 58.74 seconds.

Akili was 16th fastest in the 200m with a 25.76 seconds run. Wickham was disqualified for a false start in her preliminary round heat.

At the Big Ten Championships, in Ohio, Kion Benjamin got to the line in 6.81 seconds for eighth spot in the men’s 60m final. The University of Minnesota freshman was 15th in the 200 in an indoor best 21.54. Another Minnesota sprinter, Akilah Lewis finished 22nd overall in the women’s 60m in 7.61.

At the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championships, in Washington, Arizona State University senior Jeminise Parris clocked 8.63 seconds for 15th spot overall in the women’s 60m hurdles. University of Colorado freshman Tamia Badal was 16th in 8.75.