Arkansas State track and field alum Sharika Nelvis was one of two Americans to qualify for the final of the 100-meter hurdles at the IAAF World Championships on Friday at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing.
Nelvis, who finishes second in 12.56 seconds in the semifinal earlier Friday, stumbled over the final hurdle and crossed the line eighth in 13.01 seconds.
“Sharika has had a great season,” said A-State track and field head coach Jim Patchell. “This obviously was not one of her best races, but it was the first time she has been in a world championship final. Sharika has a great career ahead of her and I think she gained some valuable experience today.”
After graduating from A-State in the spring of 2014, Nelvis has quickly made a name for herself on the international circuit. She owns the world’s fastest time of 7.83 seconds in the 60m hurdles indoors and posted a personal best of 12.34 seconds in the heats of the U.S. Championships to move to the top of the 2015 world list.
A three-time (2012-14) USTFCCCA Indoor and Outdoor All-America honoree, Nelvis was the NCAA Division I national champion in the indoor 60-meter hurdles and the outdoor 100-meter hurdles. Nelvis, a native of Memphis, Tenn., was chosen as the 2014 Honda Sports Award winner for women’s track and field.
The 2014 USTFCCCA South Central Region Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the year, Nelvis was named the SBC Women’s Most Outstanding Track Performer after scoring a conference-meet high 38 points as a result of winning individual league titles in the 100-meter hurdles, 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash.
In the 2014 indoor season, Nelvis was named the 2014 SBC Women’s Indoor Track Athlete of the year as a result of placing first in the long jump, 60-meter dash, 200-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles en route to a conference-meet best 40 points. Nelvis went undefeated in 11 finals overall in the 55-meter hurdles, 60-meter hurdles and the 100-meter hurdles.
Nelvis concluded her illustrious Red Wolves’ career with school records in five indoor events and four outdoor events.