Above: Breanna Brown-Marshall
Hinds Community College track and field athletes Jerricka Ambus, of Brandon, and Breanna Brown-Marshall, of Birmingham, Ala., have continued the program’s long-standing tradition of success during their two seasons of competition.
In 2021, Brown-Marshall took home a national championship in the women’s high jump with a winning height of 1.78 meters during the national outdoor meet. Ambus followed suit with a national championship of her own by winning the women’s 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.25 seconds at the 2022 national indoor meet.
The two wrapped up their time at Hinds in May with the NJCAA outdoor meet in Hutchinson, Kansas. Ambus walked away with another national title in the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.25 seconds. Brown-Marshall also was the national runner-up in the women’s high jump with a height of 1.77 meters.
Ambus determined that Hinds was the right choice to continue her athletic career because of the success of the track program and the location. “Hinds is close to home, a small college and has an athletic program that produces national champions and Olympians,” Ambus said.
With regards to why she and Brown-Marshall have been successful, Ambus’ answer was simple: she believes that Hinds has helped them reach their potential. “On the track, I am now the best I have ever been. I am faster and stronger than I was before coming to Hinds. Hinds has also helped me reach the ultimate collegiate achievement of being a national champion.”
Above: Jerricka Ambus
Like Ambus, Brown-Marshall knew the success of the Hinds track program would help her meet her goals and challenge her in all of her endeavors. “Hinds has helped me be successful on and off the track by giving me a sense of leadership and never giving up when things get rough but rising to the challenge and putting forth my best effort in everything I do,” said Brown-Marshall.
She also noticed the family-like atmosphere at Hinds, especially when she met with Hinds track and field head coach Reginald Dillon and Assistant Coach Willie Calvin. “I chose Hinds to continue my athletic career because of the sense of family I got when I first arrived,” Brown-Marshall said. “Meeting Coach Dillon and Coach Calvin really helped me progress in my events.”
Dillon believes that both Ambus and Brown-Marshall have helped make the women’s program relevant during their time in Raymond. “Both of them are the first female National Champions that I’ve had the pleasure to coach,” he said. “Jerricka and Breanna were both a joy to coach, and I believe that they have truly helped put the Hinds women’s track and field team back on the map.”
Ambus signed a scholarship with the University of Mississippi in November 2021. She plans to major in sports administration while competing in the hurdles. Brown-Marshall is still weighing her college choices, but she plans to enroll at a Division 1 school to help further her academic and athletic career in fall 2022.