NEW ORLEANS – In back-to-back weeks an LSU Tiger has been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association National Athlete of the Week, as Brianna Lyston has been named this week’s winner Tuesday morning.
At the Corky Classic a little over a week ago Michaela Rose stormed to a collegiate record in the 600 yard to earn the first honor of the season from USTFCCCA. A week later and Lyston is now the second from LSU. This is just the third time since USTFCCCA started weekly honors (2015) that a school has had two-different athletes win in back-to-back weeks.
The sophomore started a historic day (Saturday) off with the fastest-qualifying time in the 60-meter preliminaries at the event, coming in at 7.14 seconds in her 60-meter season debut. Her prelims time came in at No. 5 on the all-time LSU performance list, tying Kortnei Johnson who reached the time for LSU in 2019. This time already shaved .15 seconds off of her previous best from an injury-riddled freshman season.
The Portmore, Jamaica, native came back for more as she shocked the arena with a time of 7.07 seconds in the final. Her time of 7.07 equals the LSU record set in 2018 by American-record holder Aleia Hobbs. At the time, Hobbs’ LSU record of 7.07 that she set in the NCAA Indoor Championship final was also the collegiate record. Lyston’s new PR is now the collegiate lead, No. 4 time in the world, and No. 4 on the all-time collegiate-performance list.
Lyston’s time is the second-fastest season debut in collegiate history behind the 2023 Bowerman winner, Julien Alfred, and is by far the fastest ever season debut from an underclassman in the 60m. She is also the only student-athlete to go sub-7.10 in the 60m so far this collegiate season. The field for the 60-meter final included two members of the all-time collegiate top-10 list for the 60m and four women in the top-10 in the nation this season.
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