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[Lynn Burke]

Hampton's Brown lowers hurdle time again
By Daniel Maher | Correspondent

Hampton's Tierra Brown is rounding into peak form as she prepares to defend her Group AAA state titles in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles. A love of music may be pushing her toward success. Saturday at the Nike Victor Cahoon Track Classic in Manassas, she broke her own local record, while producing one of the best national times this season, 13.67 seconds in the 100 hurdles.

That clocking set a state-wide standard for 2007, as she overwhelmed the second-place finisher by more than 1.5 seconds. The Crabbers senior is pointing toward her state title defense, said coach Ron Bayton, but she also finds motivation from a faulty iPod that stopped working last summer.

"I made a deal with her that if she goes under 13.6, I'll give her an iPod," Bayton said. "Every time she steps on the track, she says she wants to go for 13.5, so she'll get that iPod."

Brown also posted a state-best time of 42.92 seconds in the 300 hurdles, inching closer to an individual goal that stems from a desire to gain some notoriety for the Hampton track program. "Our goal is to make Track & Field News," Bayton said. "And a time of 42.9 seconds will get us there. Her ultimate goal is 40.9 seconds (the national record), though. I think that's in the back of every hurdler's mind."