Mouzzon and Burris: Sprinting Towards Immortality

At the 2023 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships, ECU Track & Field's Melicia Mouzzon and Royal Burris continued what was already a terrific run of excellence. Burris, already a Conference Champion and 2022 NCAA East Prelim qualifier, and Mouzzon, already an All-Conference performer, the duo took their performance to a different level at that meet. It was just a sign of things to come.

Hosted by South Florida, Burris and Mouzzon were both set to compete in the 100m, 200m and 4x100. Mouzzon entered holding the program record at 100m already and both athletes had their names all over the record books. The two sprinters were, based on their existing credentials, two of the top sprinters in program history. But they were banging on the door of legendary status with hopes of breaking on through.

Then they did.

Mouzzon absolutely shattered her own program record in the 100m, lowering her time from 11.33 to 11.21 in one fell swoop to put herself on the AAC podium and punch her ticket to her first NCAA East Preliminary meet. She would go on to finished 17^th at the meet, nearly working her way into the NCAA Championships.

Mouzzon also made the NCAA East Prelim in the 200m after finishing seventh in the American with a time of 23.38 seconds. Though it didn't get her on the podium, that time was still the fastest by an ECU sprinter in nearly a decade and stands at second in program history.

For Burris, it was a meet that will never be forgotten. He took second in the 100m, in what became a tremendously fast race, running a time of 10.11 seconds and just missing the program record. That record of 10.08 was set by Lee McNeil way back in 1988. No one other than Burris had even run faster than 10.20 seconds since 2002.

But the 100m isn't even Burris' signature race. It was in the 200m where he did the improbable: taking down Eugene McNeil's 35-year-old program record, 20.35 seconds set back in 1988. Burris didn't just break the record, though, he demolished it, running 20.20 seconds to earn another silver medal in the meet.

Burris, by the way, also claimed All-Conference honors as a member of the 4x100 sqaud as he, Cameron Moore, Jared Harrell and Zack Ray finished third with their time of 40.44 seconds.

Mouzzon and Burris kept it going with fervor into the 2024 indoor season.

Mouzzon in particular was simply stunning this season. She broke her own program record in the 60m on three occasions, lowering it all the way to 7.27 seconds. That time was not just impressive. It didn't just move her more than a tenth of a second clear of second in ECU history. The performance made her the first Pirate ever to win a conference title in the event as she bested the competition to take the 2024 American Athletic Conference 60m crown.

Mouzzon also broke the 200m program record at the AAC Championships, matching her outdoor time in 23.38 seconds and moving 0.24 seconds clear of anyone else in ECU history. The result placed her second in the meet to give her a second All-Conference honor and a silver medal.

Burris was impressive as well in the indoor season, lowering his 60m personal best to 6.71 seconds, fourth in ECU history and the fastest by any Pirate in over a decade since Torrance Hunt ran 6.69 back in 2013. He went on to finish third in the American in the event, more All-Conference honors and another medal, being joined by freshman phenom Carlmelo Martin who took fourth in the event.

The senior also broke the ECU record at 300m with his time of 33.79, making him the first and only Pirate ever to run under 34 seconds in the event.

Now, Mouzzon and Burris turn their attention to the outdoor season which kicks off on Friday as the Pirates send athletes to meets at High Point and Mount Olive.

The star sprinters already have their names covering the tops of the ECU record book, but they enter their senior springs with a chance to do more. More chances for records; more chances for titles; and another chance to cement their names in the Pirate records for good - for immortality.

Players Mentioned

Royal Burris

Jared Harrell

Carlmelo Martin

Cameron Moore

Melicia Mouzzon

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