Yes, Yasmeen, Yes!
Monmouth star takes CAA Gold
(Photo: Yasmeen Tinsley wins the 400-meter hurdles at the Coastal Athletic Association Championships, May 15, in Greensboro, North Carolina.)
It took three tries on day two, but in her final opportunity, Yasmeen Tinsley became a Coastal Athletic Association champion.
On May 15, in Greensboro, North Carolina, the Monmouth senior's day started in the 100-meter hurdles. Just one day before, she was the only woman that seemed unfazed by the soaking rain showers during the preliminary round. Tinsley set a new school record and ran the fastest time on the opening day at 13.28 seconds.
(Photo: Tinsley earned the 100-meter hurdles runner-up medal at the CAA Championships.)
In the final round of the 100-meter hurdles, Tinsley ran a strong 13.49 seconds but it was a runner-up finish to defending champ Lucheyona Weaver of North Carolina A&T, who ran a time of 13.26.
Her second attempt at a chance at a gold medal was in the 100 meters. On day one, she participated in the 100 meters for the first time at the conference meet. Tinsley scored a top three finish during the preliminary round after the rains stopped. There she ran a Monmouth record time of 11.66 seconds. Tinsley's finals time was a fifth place effort of 11.65 seconds, but also broke the school record that she set the day before.
The championship moment for Tinsley came in the 400-meter hurdles. In this event, she was by far the top performer. There was a different kind of confidence that she appeared to have in this race. She seemed like a visitor in the 100 meters and a bit of an opener for the headliner in the 100-meter hurdles. In the 400-meter hurdles there was no doubt that Tinsley was the star of the event. In the preliminary round Tinsley finished at 58.43 seconds. None of the other 25 competitors finished under one minute and forty-five seconds.
(Photo: Tinsley in the 400-meter hurdles final.)
Tinsley won 400-meter hurdles championship by running her second fastest career time at 57.34 seconds, more than a full two seconds ahead of Carmen PenaSoto of Hampton [59.62] and Spencer Settle of Towson [59.67].
Tinsley scored 22 of Monmouth's 86 points which allowed it to finish with a fourth place tie as a team with Towson.
When the determined young woman from Arlington, Virginia was asked if she was on a mission, she simply replied, "Yes." Tinsley said, "I want to go further. Last year, I kind of almost made the Olympic trials, so this year I want to run at World [Championships] trials and qualify for that. That's my overall goal this year."
Last year, Tinsley actually qualified in the 400-meter hurdles to compete at the United States trials for the 2024 Olympics, but didn't find out until the day of the meet. Due to the meet being in Oregon and Tinsley being based in New Jersey, she wasn't able to make the cross-country trip to compete.
Often times competitors from the Coastal Athletic Association don't get the chance to perform against the most elite athletes in the country. As for Tinsley, she was fortunate enough to be in the same conference with Chastity Pickett who was a First-Team All-American hurdler for Campbell. Last year, Tinsley's talents took her to the east regional for the first time where she competed in the same 400-meter hurdles heat as 2023 NCAA champ Savannah Sutherland of Michigan.
Competing against Pickett and Sutherland has improved Tinsley's mental preparation for big races. "[I learned] to focus on my own lane, she said. "I feel like when I'm sometimes put into races with people who are really great and they're used to running at that higher level, I kind of get a little in my head. It's not that I'm not confident in myself, but I'm overthinking what I need to do. I'm kind of all over the place during my race. I feel like running against girls like that prepare me to just be in that environment more, focus on my own race and what I need to do personally or individually."
While she returns to the east regional in the 400-meter hurdles, Tinsley will also participate for a chance to advance to the NCAA Championships in the 100-meter hurdles.
The opening day of the east regional is May 29, in Jacksonville, Florida.
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