June 7, 2011

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By Miquel Jacobs
Media Relations Assistant

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina senior Lakya Brookins has been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Southeast Region Female Track Athlete of the Year for the outdoor season, giving the sprinter a sweep of the award this year after also earning the honor during the indoor season. Brookins is the first Gamecock to earn the award since Olympic gold medalist Natasha Hastings earned the honor in 2007.

Brookins has a school record and season-best time of 11.02 in the 100-meter dash this year, which ranks third in the NCAA and fifth in the world under all conditions this season. She earned runner-up honors at both the Penn Relays and the SEC Outdoor Championships before running the fastest time at the NCAA East Preliminary Round to qualify for this weekends outdoor championships. She also runs the first leg of the 4×100-meter relay that has qualified for the national semifinals this week.

Brookins and her teammates will compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships this week, June 8-11, at Drake Stadium on the campus of Drake University.