Brigetta Barrett takes a victory lap after winning the women's high jump at the USA Championships. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE
Arizona Wildcats sophomore Brigetta Barrett has gone from NCAA champion to a true national champion.
Barrett won the high jump competition Friday at the USA Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore, turning in a career-best leap of 6 feet, 4 3/4 inches.
Two weeks earlier, Barrett won the NCAA title by clearing 6 feet, 1 1/4 inches. She also won the NCAA indoor title earlier this year.
“This is my time, I have worked so hard for this goal and it is nice to accomplish it,” Barrett said in a release from USA Track and Field. “This year has been good for me. I have broken a lot of old, bad habits and started focusing on perfecting my technique.”
Barrett can compete at the IAAF World Championships, which begin Aug. 27 in Daegu, South Korea.
Former Arizona athlete Elizabeth Patterson — a two-time NCAA champion — finished second in the high jump at 6-2 1/4.
Also Friday, Tucsonan Bernard Lagat — who trains under UA assistant James Li won the 5,000-meter race. He will be going for another title Saturday in the 1,500-meter run.
“I have nothing to lose now,” said Lagat, 36 years old and a three-time Olympian. “I made the team and that is the most important thing.”
Bernard Lagat crosses the finish line to win the 5,000-meters run. Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images