From becoming Coastal Carolina's first-ever individual NCAA National Champion to becoming a World Champion, it was quite a year for Georgetown, S.C. native Melissa Jefferson.
 

Melissa Jefferson is a WORLD CHAMPION! (Click Here for the Full Recap)

EUGENE, Ore. – Coastal Carolina track & field's Melissa Jefferson made history once again on July 23, 2022, as the former Chanticleer sprinter was crowned a 2022 World Champion as part of Team USA's women's 4x100-meter relay gold medal team at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore.

Running the first leg of the race, Jefferson and her teammates, Abby Steiner, Jenna Prandini, and Twanisha Terry recorded a time of 41.14 to take first place overall. The time is the best in the world this year for the sprint relay event and the fifth-fastest time of all time.
 
Earlier in the championships, Jefferson crossed the finish line with a time of 11.03 (0.8) in the women's 100-meter finals to place eighth overall.
 

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Jefferson Places Eighth in 100-Meters at the 2022 World Championships (Click Here for the Full Recap)

EUGENE, Ore. – Coastal Carolina track & field's Melissa Jefferson staked her claim as one of the fastest women in the world on July 17, 2022, as the Georgetown, S.C. native, placed eighth overall in the women's 100-meter finals at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore.
 
Racing against some of the most distinguished track & field sprinters in the world, Jefferson crossed the finish line with a time of 11.03 (0.8) in the finals to place eighth overall.
 
Jamaica swept the sprint event as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (10.67), Shericka Jackson (10.73), and Elaine Thompson-Herah (10.81) all medaled.
 
Jefferson reached the finals with a third-place finish in her semifinal heat with a time of 10.92 (-0.2), finishing ahead of Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland who also reached the finals with a time of 10.96 (-0.2).
 
Jefferson's time of 10.92 in the semifinals was just 0.04 seconds off her time of 10.88 (1.5) at the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships in May and 0.23 seconds off her U.S. Track & Field National Championship time of 10.69 (2.9) in June.
 

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Jefferson Races to the USA Track & Field 100-Meters Championship Gold Medal (Click Here for the Full Recap)

EUGENE, Ore. – She did it again! Coastal Carolina women's outdoor track & field's Melissa Jefferson made history once again on June 24, 2022, as the junior was crowned the U.S. Champion in the women's 100-meters at the 2022 Toyota USA Track Outdoor Championships, crossing the finish line first with an amazing time of 10.69 (+2.9) in the finals to earn the gold medal.

With one of the fastest times ever by a collegian in the women's 100-meters, wind-aided or not, Jefferson earned a spot on the USA National Team and will represent the United States at the 2022 World Athletics Championships from July 15-24.

Jefferson posted a new CCU school-record time of 10.82 (0.5) in the semifinals of the 100-meters to place second overall.
 
That was just the precursor to the show she put on in the 100-meter finals, as the 2022 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field 60-meters National Champion posted a career-best time of 10.69 (+2.9) to win the event and in the process defeated six professionals and recent college graduate Celera Barnes of USC.
 
Her mark of 10.69 (+2.9) set an All-Dates, All-Time Collegiate record for the women's 100-meters (per USTFCCCA).
 

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Six Chants Earn All-American Accolades at 2022 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships (Click Here for the Full Recap)

EUGENE, Ore. – The Coastal Carolina women's outdoor track & field team wrapped up its record-setting 2022 season with six Chanticleers earning All-American honors, highlighted by Melissa Jefferson garnering All-American accolades in three events on the final day of the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships held in Eugene, Ore.
 
Competing in the finals of three events on Saturday, Jefferson picked up first-team All-American recognition with an eighth-place finish in the 100-meters with a time of 11.24. She capped her record-setting season with second-team All-American honors in the 200-meters, crossing the finish line in ninth place overall with a time of 22.90.
 
On top of her two individual All-American honors, Jefferson also picked up first-team All-American accolades as part of the 4x100-meter relay unit that finished eighth in the finals heat with a time of 43.78. The Chanticleers' team of Kayla Sweeney, Shani'a Bellamy, Jermaisha Arnold, and Jefferson finished ahead of South Carolina in the nine-team race with their third-best time on the season to earn first-team accolades.
 

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Jefferson Headlines All-Sun Belt Postseason Awards (Click Here for the Full Recap)

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Highlighted by the Sun Belt Conference Women's Outdoor Track Performer in Melissa Jefferson, a total of 17 Chanticleers were tabbed for All-Sun Belt postseason accolades, as announced by the conference office on Wednesday afternoon.
 
The 17 all-conference selections exceed the previous high of 15 honorees back in the 2017 season.
 
Jefferson repeated as the SBC Women's Most Outstanding Track Performer and earned a spot on the All-Sun Belt first team after posting a trio of historic victories on the final day of the 2022 Sun Belt Outdoor Track & Field Championships this past weekend.  The Georgetown, S.C. native broke three conference and meet records – all of which occurred in the 100-meters, 200-meters, and 4x100-meter relay events – along with two facility benchmarks and one program record.
 
She won the 100-meters in 10.88 seconds, the 200-meters in 22.46, and the 4x100 alongside Kayla Sweeney, Shani'a Bellamy, and Jermaisha Arnold in 43.79 seconds.



















 

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Jefferson Receiving Votes in The Bowerman Watch List (Click Here for the Full Recap)

NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Bowerman Award presented by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced its third watch list of the track & field season, with Coastal Carolina track & field's Melissa Jefferson receiving votes.
 
The 2022 NCAA Division I Indoor 60-meter champion earns her first mention on The Bowerman's shortlist in the receiving votes category. Jefferson becomes the first Chanticleer to garner votes for the prestigious award, while among the 10 on the list and three receiving votes, Jefferson is one of five sprinters featured on the list.
 
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009 and is named after former University of Oregon coach Bill Bowerman, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female NCAA track & field athletes in the nation. The award will be presented in December following a voting period over the summer.
 

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NATIONAL CHAMPION: Jefferson Takes Gold in 60-Meter Dash at NCAA Championships (Click Here for the Full Recap)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Call her 'National Champion'! On Saturday night, junior Melissa Jefferson outran the rest of the field in the finals of the women's 60-meter dash to win gold and be crowned an NCAA National Champion at the 2022 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships.
 
She is the first-ever individual national champion in Coastal Carolina history.
 
Jefferson recorded another Sun Belt Conference and Coastal Carolina University record time of 7.09, which was also the second-fastest time in all of NCAA Division I women's indoor track & field this season.
 
Her time of 7.09 is tied for the sixth-fastest time all-time in the NCAA Division I Women's Indoor Track & Field record books for the 60-meter dash.
 
With her first-place finish and NCAA Championship title, Jefferson is also a 2022 first-team All-American.
 

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Jefferson Named the 2022 Sun Belt Women's Indoor Track Performer of the Year (Click Here for the Full Recap)

NEW ORLEANS – Coastal Carolina junior Melissa Jefferson was named the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Women's Indoor Track Performer of the Year, the league office announced on Wednesday.
 
A two-time 2022 Sun Belt Indoor Track & Field Champion, a 2022 All-Sun Belt first-team honoree, and three-time 2022 Sun Belt Conference Women's Track Athlete of the Week award winner, Jefferson adds to her accolades with the most recent honor.
 
Jefferson had a record-setting performance on day two of the conference championship meet, as the junior sprinter won the gold medal in the 60-meter dash with a CCU school and Sun Belt Conference record time of 7.22. She crossed the finish line 0.17 of a second faster than the next finisher.
 
The third-year Chant went on to claim first-place honors in record-setting fashion again in the 200-meters, as Jefferson won the event with a Sun Belt meet record time of 23.39 to become a two-time Sun Belt Indoor Champion in 2022.
 
Overall at the Sun Belt Championship meet, Jefferson set two SBC records, won two events, and earned 20 points for her team.



















 

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