ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (10 March 2023) – The highly anticipated women’s 60-meter semi-final heat at the 2023 NCAA Division Indoor Championships will see two gold medal favorites, Julien Alfred and Favour Ofili, going head-to-head. The event will take place at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Friday (10).
Alfred, a Texas senior and the current collegiate record holder, will start in lane six of the first heat. The St. Lucian, who holds a time of 6.97 seconds, will be challenged by LSU’s Ofili, who enters the championships with a personal best of 7.15 seconds and is well poised to improve her time as the weekend progresses. – Read more: When is the NCAA DI Indoor Championships and how to watch it?
The first semi-final heat will also feature Rosemary Chukwuma of Texas Tech, who comes in with a seeded time of 7.09 seconds and will start in lane two, while ACC Champion and in-form Kiara Grant of Clemson, who has a personal best of 7.09 seconds and is considered a dark horse for a podium place, will also be competing in heat 1.
Kevona Davis, a sophomore at Texas, and a Jamaican compatriot of Alfred’s, will enter the semi-final heats with a time of 7.19 seconds and she will be hoping to book a spot in the final as well.
In the second semi-final heat, Samirah Moody of USC starts as the one to beat with the second-fastest seeded time at 7.07 seconds. Also racing from this heat are Tennessee junior Jacious Sears at 7.11 seconds, Oregon’s Jadyn Mays at 7.13 seconds, and Georgia freshman Kaila Jackson at 7.15 seconds.
The top two finishers from each heat, as well as the next four fastest runners, will advance to the Final.
The women’s 60-meter dash semi-finals, especially the loaded first section, promise to be an exhilarating event that could provide another record-breaking performance from Alfred, who is the odd markers’ top pick for the gold medal.
NCAA Indoor Championships Women’s 60 Meter Dash Semi-finals
Heat 1 Prelims
- Favour Ofili JR LSU 7.15
- Rosemary Chukwuma JR TX Tech 7.09
- Jayla Jamison SO South Carolina 7.23
- Kevona Davis SO Texas 7.19
- Akilah Lewis JR Minnesota 7.19
- Julien Alfred SR Texas 6.97
- Kiara Grant SR Clemson 7.09
- Amira Young SR Minnesota 7.18
Heat 2 Prelims
- Jacious Sears JR Tennessee 7.11
- Ezinne Abba SR Texas 7.19
- Samirah Moody SO USC 7.07
- Autumn Wilson FR Georgia 7.20
- McKenzie Long SR Ole Miss 7.22
- Kaila Jackson FR Georgia 7.15
- Jadyn Mays SO Oregon 7.13
- Dajaz Defrand FR FL State 7.19
