dyton mupawaenda
Collin Matiza-Sports Editor
SHE’S rarely mentioned in her native Zimbabwe, but Vimbai Maisvorewa is already a household name in collegiate track and field events in the United States.
Maisvorewa (23), who is on an athletics scholarship at Auburn University, is now one of the star track and field athletes at her college and at the weekend she was part of the team that met the University of Alabama at the 2024 Harvey Glance Tide vs Tigers Dual Meet.
And she was among Auburn’s most outstanding athletes as her college played second fiddle to the University of Alabama.
In fact, the Auburn track and field team opened the 2024 indoor season with a hard-fought loss to Alabama, 144-122, in the inaugural Harvey Glance vs Tigers Dual Meet. The scored meet was created to honor the legacy of former Auburn Olympian and Auburn and Alabama head coach, who passed away last summer. According to reports from Alabama, the University of Alabama outshone Auburn at the 2024 Harvey Glance vs Tigers Dual Meet, clinching 16 event victories at the Birmingham Complex.
The meet was a showcase of athletic prowess, with Alabama asserting its dominance. But Auburn managed to pick up a number of good results along the way and among the athletes who claimed places on the podium was Maisvorewa who was in a dominant form in the women’s 300-metre dash.
Maisvorewa led the way in the 300-metre dash with a time of 37.75 seconds to claim a gold medal, while Alabama’s Ariike Elijah followed home in 38.81 seconds.
Maisvorewa was just on fire as she helped the Auburn’s women’s 4x400m relay team to a gold medal, winning the event in 3 minutes 43.53 seconds, to crown a memorable outing for herself at this inaugural meet.
Auburn won the women’s 4x400m relay event behind the efforts of Maisvorewa, Lallah Hasbrouck, Akpan and Ashante Harvey. In fact, Auburn won two relay events with the men’s quartet of Ryan Kinnane, Matthew Rain-er, Davis Plowden and Louis O’Loughlin winning the distance medley in 9 minutes 53.62 seconds. Maisvorewa was not the only Zimbabwean student who was in action during the 2024 Harvey Glance Tide vs Tigers Dual Meet as her teammate and fellow newcomer at Auburn, Makanakaishe Charamba, was also walking on Cloud Nine after romping home first in the men’s 300-metre dash.
Charamba, who is also on an athletics scholarship at Auburn University, clinched the men’s 300-metre dash in a PR time of 33.52 seconds, slightly ahead of Alabama’s Hasani Barr at 33.76 seconds.
The Zimbabwean sprinter also took part in the men’s 60m dash and came third in another PR time of 6.72 seconds.
It was a good feeling as both Maisvorewa and Charamba walked away from the Birmingham Complex with gold medals dangling around their necks.
At the end of the meet, Auburn collected 10 events wins, including All-American Favor Ashe in the men’s 600m dash and a sweep of the men’s and women’s 60m hurdles and 300m dash. The Tigers combined to equal or set 34 new personal and collegiate bests.
Auburn returns to action on January 19-20 at the Vanderbilt Invitational in Nashville.
Online Reporter