Peninsula Female Athlete of the Year
This year's track season featured a hurdler the likes of which may not have ever been seen before. Whether she was breaking records or winning titles, it was fast times at Hampton High for Tierra Brown this year as the senior track star won three state championships and twice broke a state record that had stood for 19 years. It was the kind of a year that earned Brown the title of Gameday Magazine Female Athlete of the Year.
She started her season in winning fashion by capturing the state championship in the 55 meter hurdles during this year's state indoor track meet. One state title was not enough for Tierra this year, though, and the best of her season was yet to come.
Brown, a rare talent whom Hampton girls' track coach Ron Bayton, touts as "the all-time fastest hurdler in the history of the Peninsula District," made the most waves in running the 100 meter hurdles in 13.7 seconds during nationals - a time faster than the previous state record of 13.82.
Because of a state rule that insists that the only races that count toward state records are those run at the state meet, Brown would have to repeat her performance at the state meet to be crowned as the all-time 100 meter hurdles champion.
When the state meet came around, she turned in another spectacular performance; running a 13.73 and breaking the 19-year old record on her way to the 100 meter hurdles state championship. The name Tierra Brown now stands as the fastest 100 meter hurdler in Virginia high school history. She also won the 300 meter hurdles at the state meet - an event for which her qualifying time of 41.62, was the best 300 hurdles time run in the entire nation up to that point.
All told, Brown won three state championships this year, (adding to her stellar career total which now stands at six), broke a longstanding and prestigious state record, and was unofficially the fastest 300 hurdler in the nation - not a bad senior season.
Tierra is taking the speed to college next season, as she will be leaping down to the University of Miami on a track scholarship.
