Baton Rouge, La. – LSU hurdler Alia Armstrong has been tabbed the National Athlete of the Week by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association after her performance last weekend at the Texas Relays.
USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week ‼️
▪️ @aliaarmstrong_
▪️ 12.33w (+2.5 m/s)
▪️ All-time, all-conditions collegiate best#GeauxTigers pic.twitter.com/gh2CwmMfAR— LSU Track & Field (@LSUTrackField) March 29, 2022
Armstrong did something over the weekend that has never been done in collegiate history in the 100 meter hurdles. She ran the fastest all-time, all-conditions race in the history of collegiate track and field with a time of 12.33 seconds with a helping wind of 2.5 meters per second.
Armstrong, a native of New Orleans, blasted out the blocks and used flawless hurdling skills to move down the track 100 meters while also clearing 10 hurdles in her way. It was six-hundredths of a second under the collegiate record of Clemson’s Brianna Rollins, who clocked a wind-legal time (2.0 m/s or lower) of 12.39 seconds back in 2013. The helping wind of 2.5 meters per second made Armstrong’s mark ineligible for collegiate record status, but fast is still fast.
Armstrong’s career best wind legal time in the 100 meter hurdles is a 12.65 that she clocked last summer in the semifinals of the U.S. Olympic Trials. In world history, Armstrong’s readout of 12.33 with the helping wind has only been outdone by 11 other women. The world record in the 100 meter hurdles is held by Kendra Harrison, who ran a 12.20 back in 2016. For reference, Harrison was also in action on Saturday at the Texas Relays and ran a wind-aided time of 12.32 seconds with a 3.9 meters per second helping wind in the professional race.
Armstrong also served on the lead leg for LSU’s 4×100 meter relay squad that took second at the Texas Relays with a season best time of 42.97. That time ranks as the No.2 mark in the NCAA.