Home > Forums

[Lynn Burke]

Hampton's Brown will run for Miami of Florida
By Lynn Burke | lburke@dailypress.com

HAMPTON – Tierra Brown’s announcement wasn’t much of a surprise.

She got out of her car after track practice Thursday wearing an orange and green hat. The conference room at Hampton High School was decked out in orange and green balloons and her parents were wearing orange and green sweatshirts.

After signing the letter of intent, Brown laughed.

“I’ve just signed my life over to the University of Miami,” she said.

Brown is one of the finest hurdlers ever produced by a Peninsula school. She’s a four-time state champion, twice in the 300-meter hurdles outdoors, once in the 100 hurdles outdoors and once in the 55 hurdles indoors. She’s believed to be the only Peninsula runner to run under 14 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles and her time of 7.92 in the 100 hurdles this year was the fourth best in the country, according to Track and Field News.

Brown said she picked the Florida school over the University of Virginia primarily because Miami has a criminology major.
“I want to be an FBI agent,” she said.

Her high school coach, Ron Bayton, said Brown has the potential to be a collegiate standout and beyond in the 400-meter hurdles, even though she likes the 100 hurdles best.

“She has the confidence, speed and desire,” he said, “and the desire more than anything else.”

Brown acknowledges that the 400 might be her best, pointing to her endurance.

“When others run their 300 meters and start getting tired, I can keep it going,” she said.