Former Central Visual & Performing Arts track standout LaJada Baldwin is the new Southeastern Conference champion in the 400-meter dash.
A sophomore at the University of Mississippi, Baldwin defeated a talented field to win the 400 at last weekend’s SEC championships in Gainesville, Fla.
The field also included former McCluer South-Berkeley star Alishea Usery, who finished in third place as a member of the host Florida Gators.
Baldwin and Usery were friendly rivals during the high school season, but teammates during the summer with the Blues Track Club on some record-setting relay teams. They were part of an unprecedented sweep of the Young Women’s 400-meter dash at the 2007 Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics in Knoxville, Tenn.
In winning the SEC title, Baldwin continued a tremendous beginning of her collegiate career. She won the race in a personal best time of 51.95 seconds, which is also the second fastest time in the school’s history. Baldwin also qualifies for the upcoming NCAA Regionals.
Baldwin earned All-American honors during the indoor season when she finished in fifth place in the 400 at the NCAA Indoor National Championships in College Station, Tex. She finished in second place in the 400 at the SEC Indoor Championships. Baldwin has also dabbled in the 100 and 200-meter dashes this season, winning both races at the Rhodes Open Meet in Memphis and at the Alabama Relays.
As a freshman, she earned All-SEC Freshman honors after qualifying for the NCAA and the United States Olympic Trials in the 400. She became the first true freshman in the history of the school to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in an individual event. Baldwin also ran a leg on Ole Miss’ 4×100-meter relay team that finished in fourth place.
Competing in her first SEC meet, Usery helped the Gators to the team championship with her third-place finish in the event. She also ran a leg on the Gators’ 4×100 relay team that finished sixth and the 4×400-meter relay team that finished in fifth place. Also running a leg on the 4×400 team was Alishea’s twin sister, Ashley, who is also a freshman at Florida.
Cloudy heights
Another area athlete who is getting it done at the college level is freshman Brittney Cloudy (Rockwood Marquette), who is a freshman at Saint Louis University. Cloudy made history last weekend when she became the first Billiken track athlete to qualify for a NCAA Regional meet.
Cloudy bounded 40 feet 11 ½ inches in the triple jump in a Twilight Meet in Louisville to earn a berth at the upcoming NCAA Mideast Regionals in Louisville. Cloudy is already the school-record holder in the event as well as the school’s first Atlantic 10 Conference individual champion, a feat she accomplished at the A-10 Indoor Championships during the winter.
