Incoming Razorback Shawnti Jackson receives national honor

Shawn Price August 1, 2023

FAYETTEVILLE – Shawnti Jackson, an Arkansas incoming freshman, received a national award this past weekend as she was named the 2022-23 USA Today HSSA Girls Track and Field Athlete of Year.

An official announcement was made during the USA Today High School Sports Awards show streamed on Sunday. Jackson claimed the honor from a team of 25 nominees picked from all 50 states and District of Columbia for the award.

The USA Today High School Sports Awards is the largest high school athletic recognition program in the country with 14 regional award shows and one national awards program.

Jackson, who competed at South Granville HS in Creedmoor, North Carolina, during her senior season, headlines the Razorback incoming recruiting class for the 2023-24 season in Chris Johnson’s first year as head coach of the Arkansas program.

This summer Jackson broke the national high school record in the 100m with a 10.89 victory as she raced a field of professional sprinters in Nashville, Tennessee. The previous national high school record of 10.94 was set by Briana Williams in 2019.

On the U.S. U20 all-time 100m list, Jackson’s performance ranks as the No. 3 performer with the No. 4 performance as she only trails a 10.75 for Sha’Carri Richardson in 2019 and a 10.84 by Tamari Davis in 2022. Jackson ranks equal No. 4 performer with the equal No. 5 performance on the world U20 all-time list.

Indoors, Jackson set national high school records in the 60m (7.16) and 300m (36.63) while equaling the record in the 55m (6.67). At 200m, Jackson set the low-altitude indoor record with a 22.91. An additional set of career bests for Jackson in the 400m included a 53.47 indoors and 52.13 outdoors.

Jackson improved her time in the 200m outdoors to 22.48 in winning the USATF U20 title in Eugene. That performance ranks equal No. 8 on the U.S. U20 all-time list, and she is equal No. 5 on the high school all-time list.

Racing in the 100m on the senior level of the USATF Championships in July, Jackson advanced to the semifinal, running a wind-aided 11.05 in the prelims and 11.18 in the semifinal.

In the North Carolina 2A State meet, Jackson won three individual titles with times of 11.33, 22.70, and 53.02. After setting the 100m national record at the Music City Track Carnival, Jackson won the Brooks PR 100m in 11.00 and the New York City Grand Prix 200m in 22.70.