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Williams, Lauryn
- 2006 World Indoor silver medalist and 2005 World Outdoor 100m and 4by100m champion
- 2004 Olympic silver medalist (100m)
- 2004 NCAA champion in 100 meters
- 2003 gold medalist at Pan American Games in 100 meters and 4x100m relay
- Nine-time All-American, eleven-time BIG EAST champion
- Before capturing her first NCAA title in 2004, also won NCAA East Regional Championship in 100m and had perfect (9-0) season for University of Miami in the 100m
- Won total of five BIG EAST indoor and outdoor titles and became first woman in conference history to win three consecutive outdoor 100m crowns; named 2004 BIG EAST Most Outstanding Track Performer; won 100m at Penn Relays
- Also was named 2004 Athlete of the Year by the Sports Society
- Besides winning two golds at the Pan American Games in 2003, earned gold in 100m and 4x100m relay at BIG EAST Outdoor Championships, and gold in 60m at BIG EAST Indoors; took bronze in the 100m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships
- Earned All-America honors in the 60m, 100m, and 4x100m relay
- In 2002, had one of the best freshman seasons in Miami history: 100m gold medal at World Junior Championships; 100m Champion at USA Junior Nationals
- Most Outstanding Track Performer at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships (gold in 60m and 200m); first in 100m at BIG EAST Outdoors; first Hurricane ever to earn All-America honors in the 60 meters
- First ran track in 4th grade, competing against boys; holds Pennsylvania state high school records for 100m and 200m; named to high school All-American and All-State teams; holds Rochester High School’s records for 100m, 200m, long jump, and 4x100m relay
- One of eight children, Williams’s first name is actually Beatrice, but she goes by her middle name, Lauryn, because her mother prefers it
- An active member in the community as a part of the USATF's "Be A Champion," program.
Two days after earning her spot on the U.S. Olympic Team, Williams decided to turn pro, forfeiting her last season of eligibility for NCAA competition as a Miami Hurricane. As she told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Everyone felt it would be in my best interest to do it now from a financial standpoint. I could run in college another year, but what if I get hurt? What if something happens?”
Nonetheless, Williams expects to return to Miami in the future for the remaining semester she needs to earn a degree in finance. “I have no regrets, nothing but great things to say about Miami,” she commented in the Post-Gazette. “That school made me who I am.”
“There’s no such thing as a celebrity to me, because they’re human beings just like us. I want people to look at me and say I’m a role model because I’m me, not because I run fast.”—www.hurricanesports.com, May 24, 2002
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Height: 5’3”
Born: 11-Sep-83
Hometown: Rochester, Pa.
Resides: Rochester, Pa.
Sport: Track & Field
Event: 100 meters
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