South Carolina's Akala Garrett crowned NCAA national champion in hurdles

The 2026 NCAA Outdoor National Championships were held in Eugene, Oreg. over the weekend. The Gamecocks had several players representing the garnet and black at the home of the Oregon Ducks, but one South Carolina star was crowned a champion. 

During the women's 400-meter event, junior Gamecock Akala Garrett took home the national championship. She ran a new personal best on her run, with a 53.32. Garrett was seeking revenge during this year's national championship appearance, as she finished second in the event last year. 

With her victory, Garrett is just the second Gamecock in school history to win the event, joining LaShine Demus, who won it in 2002. With her victory in 53.52 seconds, Garrett was also able to break Demus' program record of 53.43, which was set in 2004. As an added bonus to the weekend, she also was named a First-Team All-American for the fourth time during her track career. 

After her big victory, her interview with ESPN, featuring her mom, was pretty special, as she talked about how much her mother has helped her throughout her career. She also discussed her mindset heading into the season after falling short of a title last season:

Garrett, a native of Charlotte, N.C. spent the first two seasons of her track career at Texas before arriving at Columbia prior to the 2026 season. She is a junior with one season of eligibility remaining. 

Congrats to Garrett on finally earning her crown of a national champion! 

Overall, South Carolina finished 15th in the standings at the outdoor national championship, with reigning champs Georgia Bulldogs winning it all for a second straight year.

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