Eastern grad Jewel Ash, a sophomore at Charleston Southern, won her second straight Big South Conference 400-meter intermediate hurdles title and broke the 58-second barrier for the third straight time.
Ash, who ran a personal-best and meet-record 57.16 in the trials on Monday, won the final in 57.92 at High Point, N.C. She won by nearly a second over Dejah Grant of Hampton, who was second in 58.89.
She ranks No. 7 in the NCAA East Region, No. 13 in Division 1, No. 17 among U.S. women and No. 46 in the world.
Ash won the 400IH at last year’s Big South Championships in 1:00.51 after a 59.50 in the trials that was her first race under a minute. She broke 59 for the first time with a 58.83 last month in Greensboro, N.C.
Next for Ash is the NCAA East Preliminary at the Robert Haugh Track and Field Complex at the University of Indiana in Bloomington, May 25-28. The NCAA Championships are scheduled for June 8-11 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 