NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Junior Taiya Shelby was named an honorable mention All-American by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Monday.
Shelby is just the second Commodore in school history and the first since 1997 to earn All-America accolades in the outdoor 400 meters (Ryan Tolbert). Shelby is also just the ninth individual in school history with outdoor All-America honors and the first since Kristen Denk in 2019.
At the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on Thursday, Shelby finished 17th overall in the NCAA semifinals. Shelby raced to a seventh-place finish in her heat and stopped the clock at 52.63 which finished just seven-tenths of a second shy of the NCAA final.
A native of Kansas City, Missouri, and double major in economics and medicine, health and society, Shelby put together one of the most impressive outdoor seasons in Vanderbilt’s sprinting history.
As the first Commodore in 24 years to reach the NCAA Championships in the 400 meters, she finished with the second-fastest time in school history at 51.84—also just the second Vandy sprinter to break 52 seconds in the event. In addition, she set the school record in the 4×100 relay and posted the ninth-fastest time in the 800 meters in program history. In all, she ranks second in school history in five events and ranks among Vanderbilt’s all-time top 10 in 11 different events.
Student-athletes earned First-Team All-America status by finishing among the top-8 of their events – including as a member of a relay – at the 2021 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Second-Team All-America honors went to those student-athletes who finished between ninth and 16th place, while honorable mention went to those student-athletes who finished 17th through 24th in their respective events at Hayward Field.
