Photo by Sam Chandler.
Brittley Humphrey
Brittley Humphrey stands on the podium after capturing gold in the girls 60-meter hurdles at the AHSAA Class 7A State Indoor Track and Field Championships, held Feb. 6, 2016, at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
Brittley Humphrey’s day got off to a good start.
On Thursday, June 23, the recent Hoover High School graduate said she awoke to an endless stream of Twitter notifications informing her of her latest achievement: 2015-2016 Gatorade Alabama Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
“It means a lot. I was nominated maybe my sophomore year, but after that I left it alone,” she said. “It was the same this year. I never really had in mind that I was going to win it.”
Although Woodlawn High School’s Jayla Kirkland beat Humphrey out for the distinguished honor two years ago, Humphrey separated herself as the frontrunner for the award this school year.
Between the 2015-2016 indoor and outdoor track and field seasons, Humphrey added three individual state titles to her prolific collection.
In February, she captured a first-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles for a fourth straight year at the AHSAA state indoor championships. Notably, her time of 8.47 seconds in the preliminary round lowered her state record in the event.
At May’s state outdoor meet, she posted an equally impressive string of performances.
Humphrey scored 36 points within a span of 90 minutes, notching a pair of first-place finishes in the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles and a pair of second-place finishes in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes.
Her time of 13.49 seconds in the 100 hurdles lowered her state record, while her time of 42.49 seconds in the 300 hurdles tied her state record.
The Hoover girls won Class 7A titles both indoors and outdoors, marking the eighth and ninth team state championships won during Humphrey’s high school career.
“Brittley has great ability, but she’s a hard worker too, and that’s a pretty good combination,” Hoover head track and field coach Devon Hind said in a Gatorade press release. “She didn’t lose a hurdles race at a championship meet since she’s been in high school. She’s been money for four years.”
Humphrey also achieved a high level of success on the national stage during her senior campaign. In March, she finished sixth in the 60 hurdles at New Balance Nationals Indoor to claim individual All-America honors. Her season-best time of 8.24 seconds ranked as the sixth-best mark among U.S. high school girls.
Just last weekend, Humphrey rolled to a victory in the 100 hurdles at the Brooks PR Invitational in Renton, Washington. Facing an invite-only field at one of the country’s premier meets, she clocked a time of 13.43 seconds. Her season-best time of 13.24 seconds—recorded at the Brooks Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, California—stands as the seventh-best national mark of the outdoor season.
Throughout her high school career, Humphrey clinched 13 individual state titles, set three state records and garnered All-America recognition multiple times.
Last summer, she even had the chance to represent the United States at the 2015 IAAF World Youth Championships.
In addition to her abundant athletic accomplishments, Humphrey has maintained a 3.14 GPA and has volunteered time to her church, youth track programs and the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, Gatorade said in its press release.
Humphrey will attend Louisiana State University this coming school year and, as such, will join the Tigers’ prestigious track and field program.
“I would I say I’m ready to move on to the next level,” Humphrey said. “It will be exciting to have something new.”
As a Gatorade state award winner, Humphrey is now automatically nominated to earn the recognition of Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year. The selection will be announced sometime next week.
