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Houston sprints into Charleston Southern University Hall of Fame
Gabrielle Houston
Effingham County’s Gabrielle Houston (front) was named the Big South’s 2011-2012 Female Student-Athlete of the Year. - photo by Photo submitted

RINCON — Gabrielle Houston had a penchant for finishing first in her races and history at Charleston Southern University.

The Effingham County High School alumna will be honored for exploits on the track and in the classroom Friday when she is inducted into the Charleston Southern University Hall of Fame in Charleston, S.C.

“It’s rather humbling,” the former sprinter said. “I would have thought someone would have done some of these things before me.”

Houston is proud of her accomplishment and Charleston Southern Director of Athletics Jeff Barber thinks she should be.

“Being elected into your alma mater’s Hall of Fame is one of the greatest achievements a student-athlete can earn,” he said.

In 2011-12, Houston became the first Charleston Southern female athlete to be named the Big South Conference’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year. She was also was selected as the Big South Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year after earning six all-conference plaudits that season, including a pair of gold medals at the 2012 Big South Indoor Track & Field Championships.

At that meet, she tied the Big South championship meet record and overall record as she won the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.14. Her second first-place finish of the meet came in the 4x400-meter relay as she anchored the Buccaneers to a time of 3:51.97.

Houston closed out the indoor championship with a second-place finish in the 60 meters with a time of 7.49.

During the Big South Outdoor Track & Field Championship, Houston placed second in the 100-meter event with a time of 11.80 and followed with a second-place time in the 200 meters at 24.13. She helped CSU place third overall in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 46.13. 

Additional highlights from Houston’s 2011-2012 campaign included the conference’s top times in the outdoor 100-meter dash (11.45) at the NCAA Preliminaries and the indoor 60-meter event (7.46) at the Big South Championship.

Houston collected honorable mention All-America accolades after finishing 18th in the country with a time of 23.68 in the 200-meter event at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Her time of 23.42 in the 200 at the NCAA Preliminaries qualified for nationals and set the Big South’s all-time standard in the event, a mark she broke during her senior season.

Her appearance in the NCAA Championships marked the first time a CSU female athlete qualified for the meet since 2009 season. She added another strong finish in her senior season setting Big South outdoor meet records in the 100 (11.47) and2 00 (23.45) that still stand. She also has the indoor meet record in the 60 meters (7.41).