BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – KITTITIAN sprinter Marecia Pemberton, who is in her freshman year at Florida State University (FSU), is quickly becoming one of the fastest women in the NCAA after recording a time of 11.12sec in the 100m this past weekend.
The noteworthy time was delivered on Saturday (Apr. 17) at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship (ACC) in Clemson, South Carolina. Though Pemberton was aided by a 3.5 m/s tailwind, the time was enough to win her the race and show that the 19-year-old is one of the top females to watch in the NCAA.
Clemson freshman Stormy Kendrick finished behind Pemberton with a time of 11.25sec, while FSU senior Teona Rodgers rounded out the top three in a time of 11.34sec. The Kittitian’s victory propelled FSU to a second place finish overall at the meet behind Clemson.
Additionally, Pemberton was selected to the All-ACC squad along with ten of her FSU teammates as the university prepares for the highly anticipated Penn Relays later this week.
Pemberton’s time officially placed her as the third fastest woman in the world with a wind-assisted time according to the IAAF, with only LaShauntea Moore and Shalonda Solomon of the United States bettering her in times of 11.02sec and 11.04sec, respectively.
Continual improvement has been the hallmark of Pemberton’s debut season for the Seminoles as she first burst onto the national radar in late March with a time of 11.41sec and then wowed the world with a wind-assisted 11.20sec at the Florida Relays earlier this month.
The Florida race gave Pemberton the honour of being the fastest woman in the NCAA and also equaled the fastest time recorded in FSU’s track and field programme history for that event.
The Penn Relays will be the first in a series of major events over the next two months in the NCAA’s outdoor season and is scheduled to feature top athletes from more than 60 countries, including Jamaica’s world champion sprinter Usain Bolt.
Following the Relays, Pemberton will engage in three more regional competitions before entering the NCAA East Regional Championship and finally the NCAA Outdoor Championships in early June.
During the summer it is likely Pemberton will once again wear the colours of the Federation, as the St. Kitts-Nevis Amateur Athletics Association aims to send teams to top competitions such as the NACAC U-23 Championship, Central American and Caribbean Games and finally the Commonwealth Games in October.
