Shenese Walker Is a National Champion. Again. The fastest woman in college track has done it again. Florida State senior Shenese Walker claimed the NCAA Outdoor national championship in the women’s 100 meters on Saturday night at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, crossing the line in 10.88 seconds to cement what has been the most decorated single-season run in FSU track and field history.
The Jamaican sprinter, who entered the meet with the fourth-fastest 100-meter time in the NCAA at 10.80, which also set a Florida State and ACC record and stands as the fastest time recorded by a Jamaican woman in 2026, delivered when the lights were brightest.
Walker has been building toward this moment for four years. Her indoor national championship in the 60 meters this past March made her just the second Florida State athlete to win a national title in that event, and the first since Tonya Carter in 2000. That victory also made her FSU’s 24th individual national champion of all-time. Now, with the outdoor 100m title in hand, Walker will leave Tallahassee as one of the most accomplished sprinters in program history.
What makes Walker’s career so remarkable is the consistency. The three-time first-team All-American won three consecutive ACC indoor 60-meter titles and was named the ACC Women’s Track Most Valuable Performer this past indoor season after a double victory in the short sprints. She became just the second Florida State athlete to win a national indoor title in the 60 meters, with the first being Tonya Carter in 2000. She has been the standard in short-sprint track in this conference for years, and tonight she proved she’s the standard in all of college athletics.
Head coach Matt Kane knew what he had. “Shenese has been great since she’s been here,” he said after her indoor title. “Her preliminary round yesterday was a bit smoother, but at the end of the day, it’s all about time and winning. She got out there to do what she needed to do, and it was fun to watch.”
Fun to watch is an understatement. Walker’s trajectory at FSU is the kind of story that recruiting brochures are built on. She arrived from Jamaica, having attended Hydel High School, and quietly became one of the most elite sprinters in NCAA history. Her 10.80 personal best set a new program and ACC record while also ranking fifth all-time in collegiate history and eighth in Jamaican history. Those are all-time numbers.
“I’ve been chasing this since I got to Florida State,” Walker said after her indoor title. “I’ve been in the finals two times before this, and finally I got the result that I wanted, so I’m happy about that.” Happy about it. If that feels understated, that’s very much in keeping with who Walker is. Quiet, relentless, elite.
She leaves Florida State as a dual national champion in a single academic year, one of the fastest women in the history of collegiate sprinting, and the centerpiece of an FSU track and field program that continues to punch well above its visibility level. What Shenese Walker has done in garnet and gold deserves a moment of recognition from every FSU fan.
Congratulations to Shenese Walker, FSU track and field, and coach Matt Kane on an extraordinary season. This one’s for the trophy case. Stay tuned to your source for fan-focused FSU coverage here at Plant The Spear. Thanks for reading and Go Noles!