The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
2020 Top Track and Field Performers: Julien Alfred
04.07.2020 | Track & Field / Cross Country
The sophomore sprinter set the school record in the 60m and won three Big 12 titles.
As part of a new weekly series, each week we'll look back on some of the top Texas Track and Field performers during the 2019-20 season, beginning with a record-setting campaign from sophomore Julien Alfred. Fans can read up on all of the Longhorns' achievements on TexasSports.com and follow the team's social media accounts (Twitter: @TexasTFXC; Instagram: texastfxc) for more info and updates on the program.
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Track and Field sophomore Julien Alfred cemented her standing as one of the nation's top sprinters during the 2019-20 indoor season, as she set a school record in the 60-meter dash (7.10) and captured three Big 12 titles (60m, 200m, 4x400m) at the conference meet.
2020 Top Performers // Julien Alfred
— Texas T&F/XC (@TexasTFXC) April 7, 2020
• Big 12 Champion - 60m, 200m, 4x400m
• School Record, No. 7 Collegian all-time, 2020 World No. 4 & NCAA Leader - 60m (7.10 aa)
• UT No. 7 all-time, 2020 NCAA No. 8 - 200m (22.99)
▶️ https://t.co/0wrsWWZFO5#FloKnows | #HookEm 🤘 pic.twitter.com/aDoHNWTi59
Alfred, a Castries, St. Lucia native, opened her first full collegiate indoor season with a blazing 7.18 in the 60-meter dash at the FasTrak Collegiate Opener in Houston, Texas, on Dec. 7. Her mark made her one of the five fastest Longhorns in the event all time, but it was only the beginning of a dominant stretch of short-sprint success for Alfred.
In her next outing – an appearance at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Collegiate Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M. – Alfred ran a 7.10 in the 60-meter final to break Teahna Daniels' four-year-old school record. Alfred's time also made her the seventh-fastest collegian in the event, and it ranked as the fourth-fastest time in the world in 2020. She also ran a 23.50 in the 200-meter dash, the first of three-straight personal-best performances in the event.
At the Razorback Invitational a week later, Alfred won another 60-meter race while clocking a 7.15 and took second in the 200-meter dash with a 23.08 effort. Alfred's 200-meter speed reached its peak on Valentine's weekend, when she clocked a 22.99 to finish fourth at the Tiger Paw Invitational in Clemson, S.C. Her time made her only the seventh Longhorn woman to break the 23-second barrier indoors.
Two weeks later, Alfred made history once again, as she won the Big 12 Indoor title in the 60-meter dash, 200-meter dash and as part of UT's 4x400-meter relay squad. She won the 60-meter crown in 7.15. – a meet and facility record - the 200-meter title in 23.02 and the 4x400-meter team posted a time of 3:32.64 en route to victory. Alfred, along with teammates Kathryn Gillespie (800m, Mile, DMR) and Brooke Jaworski (600yd, 4x400m, DMR), became the first Longhorns to win three indoor conference titles in the same season since Marshevet Hooker in 2006. Alfred was also the first Big 12 competitor to win the conference's sprint double (60m, 200m) indoors since Hooker in 2006.
Julien Alfred's 2020 campaign left her name throughout the Texas Track and Field record book. In total, Alfred won seven of the eight 60-meter races she competed in during her sophomore season, and was only bested by 2020 world leader and professional competitor Mikiah Brisco in the final at the MLK Invitational back in January. She finished as the national leader in the 60-meter dash (7.10) and No. 8 in the country at 200 meters (22.99). Alfred also now owns five of the 10 fastest 60-meter times in UT history.
Players Mentioned
