For the first time since she wrapped up a stellar track and field career at Poplar Bluff in 2015, Jabreuna Brimlett got to compete with her entire immediate family in attendance.
Her mom, step dad, sisters, as well as an aunt and cousin, made the 15-hour trip from Texas to Shively Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky, to watch her battle for a spot in the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships two weeks ago.
For Brimlett, the familiar faces were a welcome sight that pushed her into another gear.
In less than a day, the Murray State sophomore broke the school record in the 100-meter hurdles at the NCAA East Regionals. Brimlett first hit the mark in Friday's prelims with a time of 13.42 seconds, then broke it again when she crossed the line in 13.30 in Saturday's finals. In a matter of 24 hours, the Racer speedster managed to trim a little more than 0.22 of a second off the 13.52 mark set in 2013 with a rousing cheering section behind her.
"To do it in front of some of the people that support me the most, it gave me a little more motivation because I didn't want to have them come all that way and not make it to the finals," Brimlett said. "Afterwards, my mom and everybody was ecstatic beyond belief and having them there on top of me breaking it made the whole weekend something I'll never forget."
Just two years removed from one of the most memorable seasons in her career when she helped the Mules claim Poplar Bluff's first-ever state title in track and field, Brimlett hasn't forgotten about her other family -- her high school teammates and coaches who helped prepare her for the next step.
Brimlett earned all-state honors in all four of her state meet events, including a pair of gold-medal finishes to sweep the hurdle events. She broke three school records in her only year at Poplar Bluff after moving from Blytheville, Arkansas.
The transition paid huge dividends for Brimlett, who said she owes a lot to her former teammates and coaches for pushing her into the next stratosphere of becoming an elite sprinter.
"I was really upset until I got to Poplar Bluff," Brimlett said. "I adjusted real easy, I made friends and then the track team -- everyone was and still is just like family.
"With everything they did for me, I feel like they're the reason I was able to run track in college."
Though they couldn't be there in person, Brimlett's other family, including Poplar Bluff coach Beth Lewis-Muse and many of her former teammates, took a break from competing in the MSHSAA Class 4 state track and field meet in Jefferson City, some 500 miles away, to watch Brimlett dart across the track.
Tucked in the corner of the stands at Jefferson City High School, the Mules had their eyes and ears glued to their smartphones waiting to see how Brimlett had done.
"We pretty much stopped everything to catch some videos of her and talk to Jabreuna and her mom trying to get the results and the placements and all that kind of stuff," Lewis-Muse said. "In every race she's in, we're trying our hardest to be there without being there personally for her."
It has become a tradition for Brimlett and Lewis-Muse, who stay in contact through Facebook since many of Murray State's meets coincide with Poplar Bluff's in the spring, preventing both sides from reuniting in person.
Brimlett has developed a good habit of letting Lewis-Muse know when to pay attention.
"She messages me just about every time she races," Lewis-Muse said. "When she gets to her bigger meets she always lets me know how she does within like a half-hour of her finish, and knowing from past experiences, Jabreuna's races aren't something you want to miss."
Lewis-Muse said she gave Brimlett "a few good pep talks" leading up to what Brimlett called the biggest race of her career. Once the results rolled in, Lewis-Muse was blown away.
"She was fast when we had her, and my gosh, for her to be that much faster in watching her videos, she's not finished yet. She's going to go far," Lewis-Muse said. "I almost can't find the words to describe just the intensity of her hurdling and how good it is."
Lewis-Muse witnessed Brimlett break three schools records and nearly take down another in her final race with the Mules firsthand. First, she broke a pair of 34-year-old records in the triple jump (38-feet, 8-inches) and long jumps (18-11) during the season. At state, she advanced to the 100-hurdle finals by setting a new mark at 14.23 then nearly broke the 300-hurdle record to win in 43.52, just 0.12 of a second off the record pace.
Brimlett took second in the long jump at state and third in the triple jump to account for 34 of Poplar Bluff's 61 state championship points.
"It was the experience of a lifetime and something I really can't describe," Brimlett said. "Everybody wanted it so bad and you could tell. Then all the pieces came together at once because we were such a tight-knit group."
Brimlett's most recent record-breaking performance wasn't enough to place her in the top-12, which advanced to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon. In fact, she missed grabbing the final slot by only a blink of an eye when Tia Threvenin of Syracuse edged her by 0.03 of a second. Despite missing the cut, seeing the results were rewarding for Brimlett.
"It made me more motivated because I realized everything I do in practice or in training can make me better for next year and I also know that I've got a lot of people rooting for me even when I don't win," Brimlett said. "After the race Coach Lewis reminded me that every little thing is going to help me get that time down and get me to the next step."
Brimlett had the same realization when she arrived in Murray in the fall of 2016.
Training regiments with the Racers was different and more rigorous than she was used to, the competition was on another level and at first she felt out of place.
Eventually times started dropping consistently, especially this year.
Brimlett entered regional competition ranked 12th out of 48 sprinters based on her run of 13.22 seconds -- a personal record -- in the Ohio Valley Conference championships. She also finished second in the heptathlon, and placed second in the hurdles to qualify for regional competition.
Trimming time is the next step for Brimlett, who hopes to drop her hurdles time to within 12 seconds next season. If she can attain that goal, Brimlett said she will redshirt her senior year, which would allow her to train with her college coach for a shot at fulfilling her ultimate goal of competing in the Olympic Trials in 2020.
"That's the goal and everything is pointing in that direction," Brimlett said. "I've cut off more time in one season than I ever have before and I just started a training program on Tuesday for next season. At this point nothing is going to stop me from trying to hit another goal and just keep knocking them down."