Forrest, Williams Earn Gold at SWAC Indoors

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Trellas Forrest set a new Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) record in the men's 400m Sunday afternoon as Alcorn concluded participation in the 2026 SWAC Indoor Track & Field Championships inside Birmingham CrossPlex.
 
Across both the men's and women's championships, Alcorn took home two gold medals and five podium finishes in the two-day event.
 
Trellas Forrest, a senior from Winona, Mississippi, clocked a time of 47.10 seconds in the men's 400m final, setting a new SWAC record in the process.
 
"Words can't describe how this feels," said Forrest afterwards. "This is what you work for every day in the cold, the heat, rain, practicing; staying in shape; in the weight room; everything. This will take some time to really understand what I've just done. It's just so amazing, and I can't describe it."
 
The Braves took another gold medal podium spot in the men's 200m final when Derrick Williams crossed the finish line in a time of 20.97 seconds, defeating second place competitor Sedgwrick Pitts Jr. of Jackson State by 0.4 seconds.
 
"Wow, that's… WOW," expressed Williams, affectionately known as 'DJ' to the Alcorn community. "I wanted to come here and try to win a gold medal. This is… wow. I know the coaching staff believed in me, and they push me every day. And for this reason, right here. For a first-place medal. That's why we do it."
 
Other results in the men's 4x400 meter relay, the Braves fielded the team of Preston Summage, Derrick Williams, Trellas Forrest and Jaden Gardner. The team just missed out on a podium finish, taking fourth overall with a time of 3:14.37 in the finals.
 
Overall, for the men's team standings, Alcorn (29 pts) finished 10th, while Texas Southern (108 pts) took home the team title.
 
On the women's side, Izayla Harris was sixth in the 60m with a time of 7.56 seconds. However, the freshman from Doyline, Louisiana, would return in the 200m and earn her first collegiate podium place turning in a third-place mark of 23.82 seconds overall.
 
Teammate Silvia Jepkorir placed fourth in the women's 5000m run, as the Eldoret, Kenya, sophomore had a finishing time of 18:19.86.
 
The Purple and Gold looked towards the 4x400m relay team of Bianna Wilson, Izayla Harris, Sariah Magee and Rikki Gray to earn third place in the event, crossing in a finishing time of 3:44.00.
 
Meanwhile, Kaylin White stood on the podium with bronze as she placed third in the women's pentathlon with a score of 3,432 across the events.
 
"I am pleased with so many things from this weekend," stated Alcorn Head Coch Alonzo Banks. "I am so pleased for Trellas [Forrest] and DJ [Williams], and I see what Kaylin [White] continues to do every time in the pentathlon.
 
"We did so many good things this weekend, and I also see things we can improve upon heading into the outdoor season. But today, this is about celebrating the accomplishments of several student-athletes, many with new personal records that may not shoot out to you on the stat sheet. We did so many good things, and I am proud of them.
 
On the women's side, Alcorn finished eighth overall in the team standings.
 
"Of course we can get better, and that's why we'll get back to the track and get back to work when we return to Lorman," expressed Banks. "But I also think it's important to remind the student-athletes of the progress they're making, and I known they enjoy seeing their hard work pay off with medals and PR's. We'll get back to work, but this was a good weekend, and I want everyone to enjoy their success."
 
The NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships are set to take place March 16-17, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
 
The outdoor season for the Braves begins Saturday, March 7, when traveling to nearby Clinton, Mississippi, for the MC Spring Classic hosted by Mississippi College.
 
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