Hodge Shatters NCAA 100m Record, Claims 200m
University of Georgia freshman Adaejah T. Hodge broke the NCAA Championships 100m record in the semis with a wind-legal 10.63, then took silver in the 100m final and returned to win 200m gold in 21.68, a World Lead and Virgin Islands national record, Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) reports. Hodge’s performances over three days helped Georgia claim the national team title and underline the continued strength of Caribbean sprinting pathways for BVI athletes.
University of Georgia freshman Adaejah T. Hodge produced a sequence of headline-making performances at the NCAA Division I Championships, beginning with a record-shattering 100m semi-final and finishing with a commanding 200m victory, Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) reported. In the 100m semis, Hodge burst into the final with a wind-legal 10.63 seconds, demolishing Sha’Carri Richardson’s 2019 NCAA Championships mark of 10.75 and lowering her own personal best and Virgin Islands national record, according to VINO.
That semifinal showing put her among the fastest collegiate sprinters ever and sent a clear message to the field ahead of the final. On Saturday in the 100m final, Hodge finished second in 10.93s. Florida State senior Shenese Walker took the title in 10.88 to secure the biggest victory of her collegiate career, VINO reported.
Hodge had earlier advanced through the rounds alongside other top qualifiers: LSU’s Shawnti Jackson (who took second in Hodge’s heat in 10.88), South Carolina’s Brianna Selby (10.94), Tennessee’s Dana Wilson (11.01), South Carolina’s JaMeesia Ford (season-best 11.02) and Tarleton State’s Victoria Cameron (11.06).
The NCAA advancement format moved the top two from each heat forward, plus the next three fastest overall. Undeterred by the 100m final result, Hodge regrouped and delivered in the 200m final. She won gold in 21.68 seconds — a World Lead that VINO says ties Melissa Jefferson-Wooden for the eighth-fastest 200m performance ever by a woman, and it stands as a new Virgin Islands national record.
LSU’s Shawnti Jackson finished second in a personal-best 22.12, while Texas A&M’s Camryn Dickson took third in 22.18, according to VINO. Reflecting on the quick turnaround between events, Hodge — who ran her sixth race in three days — told reporters she had to “compartmentalise” and move on from the 100m. “It is what it is.
Move forward to the next event,” she said, a quote carried by VINO that speaks to her growing maturity on the big stage. Hodge’s contributions were pivotal to the Bulldogs capturing the NCAA team title; VINO reported Georgia finished with 50 points, boosted significantly by her podium finishes.
For athletes and coaches across the Caribbean and the British Virgin Islands, Hodge’s weekend is a reminder of the strength of regional sprinting talent and the opportunities offered by the American collegiate system. VINO’s coverage supplied the detailed times, placings and context for Hodge’s record-breaking sprint and her 200m triumph, which together mark a major milestone in a rapidly rising career and give BVI fans much to celebrate and emulate.
Primary source: VINO