First time three collegiate athletes have gone under 52 seconds in January

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Not only did Georgia freshman Lynna Irby add to her world-leading indoor 200 meters with her performance Saturday in the 400 at the Razorback Invitational, but she had some company in producing a historic race on American soil.

Irby clocked a world-leading 51.48 seconds, the fastest 400 by an American in January since Sanya Richards-Ross ran 51.45 at the same meet in 2012, with USC senior Kendall Ellis taking second in 51.53 and Florida junior Sharrika Barnett, a native of Jamaica, placing third in 51.64.

Irby, who broke the Georgia indoor 200 record, now ranks second all-time in the 400 in program history behind Bahamian star Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who won the 2013 NCAA Division 1 indoor title as a freshman, clocking 50.88. The last freshman to run under 52 seconds in the 400 was Texas A&M's Shamier Little in 2014.

Barnett elevated to No. 3 all-time indoors at Florida, trailing only Tiandra Ponteen (50.91 in 2005) and Novlene Williams-Mills (51.55 in 2004).

It marked the first time three collegiate athletes had run under 52 seconds in January, let alone in the same race. The only other time multiple U.S. female athletes accomplished the feat in January in the same year was Francena McCorory and Dee Dee Trotter in 2014. Ebonie Floyd was the only other American woman before Saturday to run under 52 seconds in January, clocking 51.82 in 2013.

Only one female athlete in the world in each of the past two years ran under 52 seconds in January, with nobody reaching that level in 2015.

The last time three female athletes from a single country eclipsed the 52-second barrier in January came in Russia in 2006, when six individuals achieved the feat in the same race in Moskava.

Only four collegiate athletes ran under 52 seconds indoors last year, with Ellis the top returnee at 51.07, the USC indoor record.