Sears' rapid 100 earns her USATF Athlete of the Week honors

INDIANAPOLIS — Running the second fastest collegiate women's 100 ever, Jacious Sears (Knoxville, TN/USATF Tennessee) earned recognition as the 14th USATF Athlete of the Week award winner for 2024.

Speeding away from a strong field in the final at the Tom Jones Memorial in Florida, Sears crossed the finish line in 10.77, just missing the collegiate record of 10.75 set by Sha'Carri Richardson at the NCAA Championships in 2019. Sears, a senior at Tennessee who previously had a PB of 10.96, took over the No. 2 spot on the all-time collegiate performer list with her world-leading mark, and she also claimed the No. 7 slot on the all-time U.S. performer list.

The bronze medalist at last year's NCAA Championships in the 100 and in the 60 at the collegiate indoor championships, Sears was eighth at the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships. Her 10.77 is the second fastest wind-legal time ever run in April, trailing only a 10.72 by Richardson on April 10, 2021.
 
Other top performances from last week:

• Parker Valby of Florida won the Bryan Clay Invitational women's 10,000 in 30:50.43, a collegiate record. She broke the old CR by almost 28 seconds and is now No. 11 on the all-time U.S. performer list.
• Colin Sahlman of Northern Arizona set an American collegiate record in the men's 1500 at the Bryan Clay Invitational, clocking 3:33.96.
• Chris Robinson of Alabama won the men's 400 hurdles at the Jones Memorial in a world-leading 47.95, moving him to No. 6 on the all-time collegiate list.
• Michaela Rose of LSU won the women's 800 at the Bryan Clay Invitational in 1:58.37, the second-fastest time ever by a collegian.

Now in its 23rd year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week when there are high-level competitions and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

2024 Winners: January 17, Weini Kelati; January 24, Cooper Teare; January 31, Nico Young; February 7, Fiona O'Keeffe; February 14, Elle St. Pierre; February 21, Grant Holloway; February 28, Jalani Davis; March 6, Elle St. Pierre; March 13, Rachel Glenn; March 20, Grant Fisher; March 27, Myrle Mensey; April 3, Jordan Davis; April 10, Hillary Bor; April 17, Jacious Sears.

We welcome your nominations!

To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to communications@usatf.org.

Join the conversation with USATF on X, Instagram, and Facebook using the hashtag #USATF.
 
Photo Credit: Cayce Smith