Julien Alfred is the collegiate 60m dash record holder, and the best sprinter in the NCAA
Julien Alfred broke the collegiate 60m dash record. And that alone is a big deal, until you realize who the old record holder was. On February 3, 2023 she broke her own collegiate record with a converted time of 7.02 seconds, and the next fastest woman in the country has failed to break 7.10. A tenth of a second is an eternity in the 60m dash and with history now on her side, it appears that the NCAA championship title is hers to lose. But how good is Julien Alfred really? She has quietly become the best athlete on arguably the best team in the NCAA. And this season she can cement her status as not only the best in the NCAA this year, but one of the greatest sprinters we have ever seen.
Julien Alfred has dominated the NCAA ever since 2020
Julien Alfred has been running in college since the 2019 indoor season, but 2020 is when she really began to challenge for the throne as queen of the sprints. By her sophomore year indoor season she was already the Big 12 champion, and believe it or not, ran the fastest time in the nation in the 60m dash with a 7.12 performance during the regular season. However, there was no national championship contested in 2020 for either indoors or outdoors, and we never got to see what she could really accomplish. But the following season at the NCAA championships she ran 7.04 seconds in her preliminary heat breaking the collegiate record. And though she lost the national title, she underperformed in the final. She went on to win the national championship outdoors in the 100m against the old 60m record holder, and finished her season at the world championships later that year. Julien Alfred has been a dominating sprinter for quite some time now, and her recent performances are forcing the track and field community to recognize where credit is due.
Julien Alfred is better than she has ever been
All that being said, Julien is legitimately better than she has ever been and there is no debate about that. Up until 2022 the collegiate record in the 60 meter dash was. 7.05 seconds. And this season the slowest time she has ever recorded is 7.05 seconds in a 60 meter dash race. As a sprinter she is not only faster than everyone else, she is more consistent that anyone else in the game. It is unheard of for a sprinter to consistently run at an all time best level and sustain it, but Julien Alfred is pulling it off. And as a 60 meter record holder, and 100 meter national champion, her 200 meter performances have always lagged behind. But she appears to be figuring that out as of now.
This season Julien has already run 2 major PRs in the indoor 200m, most recently recording a 22.56 performance. But that only tells half the story. Prior to this season she had never ran faster than 22.89 in the indoor 200m. She is currently ranked 3rd in the 200m indoors, only .1 of a second behind the national leader Favour Ofili, but when they faced off this weekend in New Mexico, she only lost by .01 of a second. With weeks leading up to the national championship the 60m and 200m double is finally within her reach and even the national leader knows it.
Julien Alfred is the best sprinter for the best sprint program
Track and field at the collegiate level is a team sport, and Julien Alfred chose the right college program. At the University of Texas, it is needless to say that she is the fastest on the team in her primary event, but her teammates are not far behind. The Texas Longhorns currently have 3 women ranked in the national polls for the 60m dash, and 5 for the 200m! It is not surprising then that they have the number 1 event squad for both the 60m and 200m in the entire NCAA. Texas is a legitimate national title threat, opening the midseason polls at number 1, and fluctuating throughout the top 5 since. But it is undeniable that Julien is the leader of a team that aims to be the last one standing come March.
The Bottom Line
Julien Alfred is officially one of the greats. Setting a collegiate record will do that for you. But breaking that record more than once, means that it is officially now your event, and everyone else is just participating in it. There is only one race remaining that matters for her legacy, the 60m national championship final. And every step she takes from here until then, is a formality. With so many great sprinters moving through the collegiate ranks, even recently, it is hard to imagine that someone can occupy the throne all by herself. However, if she does complete this season the way that we all know she should, she can redefine what it means to be the greatest collegiate sprinter of all time. And make sure her name, and only her name is synonymous with greatness.
KNOW THE GAME. WIN THE GAME.
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