LEXINGTON, Ky. – Southern University's Tashina Alase added another milestone to her remarkable season Saturday, earning a spot at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 100-meter hurdles after posting the second-fastest qualifying time at the NCAA East Regional at the Kentucky Track and Field Facility.
 
With her qualification, Alase becomes the first Lady Jaguar to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships since Alethea Antoine placed seventh in the 100-meter hurdles in 1994. She is also the first female athlete in Southern history to qualify for both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships and the first Jaguar overall to accomplish the feat since NCAA Indoor Champion Brian Johnson qualified for the outdoor championships in 2002 and the indoor championships in 2003.
 
Alase is the only Southern athlete to qualify for both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships during the same season. Among Southern's all-time greats, Rodney Milburn competed in the NAIA Indoor and Outdoor Championships from 1970-72, Theron Lewis qualified in 1965 and 1966, Willie Davenport in 1966 and 1967, and Oliver Ford in 1967.
 
Competing in the second heat of the quarterfinals, Alase wasted little time securing her place among the nation's elite. The sophomore crossed the finish line in 12.74 seconds, the third-fastest performance of her season and one of the top times in the country this year. She finished comfortably ahead of the final automatic qualifying position in her heat and recorded the second-fastest time of the regional round overall, trailing only Kentucky's Emmi Scales by 0.05 seconds.
 
Alase enters the national championship meet as one of the premier hurdlers in collegiate track and field. Earlier this season, she broke the SWAC record and posted the fastest time in the NCAA and the eighth-fastest mark in the world, cementing her place among the sport's rising stars.
 
Up Next
Alase will travel to Eugene, Oregon, to compete in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at historic Hayward Field. The semifinal round of the 100-meter hurdles is scheduled for June 11 at 8:08 p.m. CT.
 
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