British Virgin Islands’ Adaejah Hodge turned the opening round of the women’s 100 metres into one of the most stunning sprint moments in NCAA history on Thursday (11 June), blasting to a wind-legal 10.63 seconds at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
The Georgia freshman did not wait for the final to make her mark. Running in Heat 1 with a +1.9 m/s tailwind, Hodge produced a massive personal best and the fastest collegiate women’s 100m time ever recorded, sending a jolt through Hayward Field and the rest of the championship field.
It was not just a win. It was a statement.
Hodge’s 10.63 carried almost every major label beside it on the results board: personal best, collegiate lead, meet record and collegiate record. In one breathtaking race, she wiped away the 10.75 championship and collegiate standard set by LSU’s Sha’Carri Richardson on June 8, 2019.
For an opening-round sprint, it was huge. For a freshman, it was amazing. For the NCAA record book, it was a complete rewrite.
LSU’s Shawnti Jackson also advanced automatically, finishing second in 10.88, a strong time that was still left far behind by Hodge’s record-smashing run. The NCAA format sends the top two from each heat into the next round, along with the next three fastest times overall.
Brianna Selby of USC finished third in 10.94 and will wait on the remaining heats to see if her time is enough to move on. Tennessee’s Dana Wilson was fourth in 11.01, while South Carolina’s JaMeesia Ford ran a season-best 11.02 for fifth. Victoria Cameron of Tarleton State finished sixth in 11.06.
Hodge looked powerful from the gun, stayed composed through the drive phase and never gave the field a way back. By the final 40 metres, the race had become a showcase, with the Georgia sprinter charging clear and turning a preliminary heat into a historic headline.
The performance immediately changes the tone of the women’s 100m at the championships. Hodge entered Eugene as one of the event’s major contenders, but 10.63 made the race feel different. The target is now hers. The pressure is now on everyone else.
Meanwhile, Jamaican and Florida State’s Shenese Walker won Heat 3 in 10.94 to take the automatic spot. LSU’s Tima Godbless was second in that heat in 11.08 and also advanced.
Florida’s Gabrielle Matthews, also Jamaican, won Heat 2 in 11.02. Ole Miss sprinter Alicia Burnett took the second automatic qualifying place from that heat in 11.03.
Heat 1: Adaejah Hodge, Georgia, 10.63 (+1.9)
Heat 2: Gabrielle Matthews, Florida, 11.02 (+0.6)
Heat 3: Shenese Walker, Florida State, 10.94 (+0.3)
All qualifiers
Adaejah Hodge, Georgia, 10.63
Shawnti Jackson, LSU, 10.88
Shenese Walker, Florida State, 10.94
Brianna Selby, USC, 10.94
Dana Wilson, Tennessee, 11.01
Gabrielle Matthews, Florida, 11.02
JaMeesia Ford, South Carolina, 11.02
Alicia Burnett, Ole Miss, 11.03
Tima Godbless, LSU, 11.08
