Jan. 19, 2010

COLUMBIA, S.C. – For the third consecutive season, a South Carolina women’s track and field athlete earned SEC Runner of the Week honors in the opening weekend of the indoor season after junior Lakya Brookins was awarded the honor Tuesday by the conference office. Brookins won the 60-meter dash at the Virginia Tech Invitational at a nation-leading time of 7.28.

Brookins was named Co-Runner of the Week with Auburn’s Sheniqua Ferguson. Her time was an NCAA provisional qualifying time as Brookins, the 2009 NCAA Champion in the event, remained in contention to defend her title in the 2010 indoor season with the strong showing.

It is the second SEC weekly honor of her career. After the first meet of the 2008 season, Brookins was named the SEC Freshman Runner of the Week. After the first meet of the 2009 indoor season, Nadonnia Rodrigues was named the SEC Freshman Runner of the Week, and Brookins’s honor Tuesday keeps the streak alive as this honor comes after the first race of the indoor season.

South Carolina returns to Blacksburg next weekend when the team participates at the Hokie Invitational January 22-23.