Florence native Gabby Thomas sets NCAA indoor 200 dash record in winning first national title

Gabby Thomas made history Saturday night.

The Harvard junior sprinter won the NCAA indoor championship in the 200-meter dash, breaking a 10-year-old record in the process.

The Florence native and Williston-Northampton graduate ran 22.38 seconds, to better Bianca Knight’s time of 22.40 set in 2008.

Knight congratulated Thomas on twitter: “@ItsGabrielleT Congratulations Gabrielle!! I hate to see my record go (weary face emoji) but you damn sure deserve it!! That’s some good runnin!!!

DOWN GOES ANOTHER #ncaaTF RECORD! @HarvardTrack_XC‘s Gabrielle Thomas sets a new COLLEGIATE RECORD in the Women’s 200m with 2ï¸âƒ£2ï¸âƒ£.3ï¸âƒ£8ï¸âƒ£edging out Bianca Knight’s 2008 time of 22.40. pic.twitter.com/CVtVvp95ib

— NCAA Track & Field (@NCAATrackField) March 11, 2018

Thomas became the first Ivy League women’s sprinter to win a national title.

Thomas earned USTFCCCA First Team All-America honors in the 200 for the second straight season, another first for Harvard and the Ivy League.

My first NCAA champion title. From finishing last in the finals last year to coming in first and breaking a collegiate record is such a blessing. All of those hours and focus over the past year PAID OFF! It doesn’t matter what you were running last year or what jersey you put on-always reach for greater heights! #ncaatf

A post shared by Gabrielle Thomas (@gabbythomas) on Mar 10, 2018 at 7:39pm PST