Track & Field 2k21: Head over Heels for Tyra Gittens at SEC

Holmberg takes Big Ten Heptathlon, Nwofor is runner-up

Senior Madeline Holmberg of Penn State won the Big Ten championship in the women's heptathlon with 5,839 points, Saturday in Champaign, Illinois.

Below: Madeline Holmberg

Holmberg took first place in the 200 meters and long jump portions of the competition, while finishing second in the 800 and shot put sections. Ohio State's Emma Nwofor, also a senior, placed second in the heptathlon with 5,685 points. She was a winner in the 100-meter hurdles and javelin throw portions, while placing second in the high jump. The competition started with 16 competitors but only 14 completed the heptathlon.

Below: Emma Nwofor

Iowa senior Jenny Kimbro earned the third place medal with 5,477 points. Kimbro was the runner-up at the most recent Big Ten Championships back in 2019. Last season's NCAA outdoor season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Holmberg was the winner of last year's pentathlon during the Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships. Her last time competing in the Big Ten outdoor meet was in 2018 when she placed second in the heptathlon. She was also a runner-up finisher in the pentathlon during the Big Ten indoor finals in 2018. Holmberg has participated to the NCAA finals a combined three times during her career in the pentathlon and heptathlon.

Acquah takes the SEC crown in the long jump

Texas A&M's Deborah Acquah won the SEC Championship in the long jump on Friday, in Bryan-College Station, Texas. Acquah won with her second jump which was a mark of 6.80 in the competition. Runner-up Claire Bryant of Florida grabbed the second place medal with her third jump in which she landed at 6.71.

Below: Deborah Acquah

A junior, Acquah has been one of the top long jump participants in the nation since 2019. She was the national runner-up at the NCAA indoor championship meet back in 2019, before placing third at the outdoor NCAA championship during the same season.

On April 23, she had her best jump of 6.81, when she won at the LSU Alumni Gold meet. That mark is the fourth best in the NCAA this season. Acquah bested 18 other competitors, including Jasmine Moore of Georgia whose first jump of 6.64 was good enough for third place.

Gittens edges out Hall & Reynolds in SEC heptathlon

Above: Tyra Gittens

Tyra Gittens continues to convince the collegiate world that she the best athlete in women's sports with a win in the heptathlon at the SEC Championships, May 14. It was her second time winning the event at the SEC outdoor meet, as she captured the crown as a freshman in 2018.

Gittens was the victor during the long jump, high jump and 200 meters portions of the heptathlon. She was also a runner-up in the javelin throw as she scored a total of 6,418 points. She set personal records with a time of 23.43 in the 200 meters and marks of 1.95 in the high jump and 6.96 in the long jump.

Below: Asya Reynolds

During the indoor season she was sixth in the pentathlon at the SEC indoor meet which was won by Georgia's Anna Hall, who was the runner-up in the heptathlon. Gittens rebounded by winning the NCAA championship at the indoor national meet. Hall, a freshman, scored 6,117 points, finishing a spot ahead of her teammate Asya Reynolds, who scored 5,922 points. Reynolds was the Big Ten champ in 2019 when she competed for Michigan State. Now a senior, this was her first time competing at the SEC championship.

St. John's Anderson dominates Big East meet

St. John's Onassha Rogers, Avon Samuels, Brooklyn Chesnut and Leah Anderson won the 400-meter relay (45.64) at the Big East Outdoor Track & Field Championships, May 15.

They edged out DePaul's foursome of Esther Aldana, Kiersten Walker, Bella Uscila and Tori Carroll who clocked in at 45.83. St. John's Anderson scored wins in the 200 meters (23.36) and 400 meters (53.35). She was also on the runner-up 1,600-meter relay squad.