LAFAYETTE, LA —- Melissa Jefferson of Coastal Carolina continued her outstanding form this season after she flashed to 10.88 seconds (+1.5 m/s) to win the women’s 100m at the 2022 Sun Belt Championships in Lafayette, LA, on Saturday (14). The sophomore standout won a treble this weekend at the conference meeting with victory in the 200m and 4x100m as well.
On a very busy weekend of conference championships, Jefferson made sure to punch her name into the collegiate history books, clocking the fifth-fastest 100m time ever with legal wind reading.
READ MORE: Julien Alfred breaks Big 12 record with 10.81; Kevona Davis runs 10.95
The NCAA Indoor Championships 60m national champion is now ranked only behind Sha’Carri Richardson, (10.75), Dawn Sowell (10.78), Julien Alfred (10.81 / May 14 2022), and Aleia Hobbs (10.85) in the women’s collegiate 100m all-time wind-legal list.
Jefferson smashed the Sun Belt Championship, meet record and facility record with her outstanding PB that bettered her previous personal best of 11.00 secs, set in Gainesville, FL, last month.
Iyana Gray of UT-Arlington was second in the 100m with a PB of 11.22 secs, while Jonae Cook took third place for Arkansas State in 11.43.
Jefferson returned to seal the sprint double and collect her third title at the championships after she posted 22.48 seconds (+1.9 m/s) to win the 200m, while smashing the Sun Belt record of 22.70, set by Sharika Nelvis of Arkansas State in 2015.
Her Coastal Carolina teammate Mekenze Kelley was second in a new PB of 22.78 secs with Gray taking third, also with a PB of 23.13.
Earlier, Jefferson helped the Coastal Carolina women’s 4x100m relay team set a Sun Belt Championship record with a time of 43.79 seconds en route to winning the gold medal.
