Cunningham lowers his 60 hurdles record to 7.40

By Mary Albl for DyeStat

NEW YORK -- Trey Cunningham said this weekend in New York was all business, but the expression on his face said different. 

Cunningham, a senior from Winfield, Ala., made history Sunday as he tore through the 60-meter hurdles at the New Balance Nationals Indoor Championships in a new U-20 world-record time of 7.40 seconds. 

Moments after crossing through the finish, Cunningham hit the crash pad, bounced backward and looked up to see his record-breaking time. What followed was a celebration -- arms wide out, mouth open in excitement as he ran down the backstretch of the Armory oval. 

“This year was all business, trying to take care of my race,” Cunningham said. 

It was a memorable one for Cunningham, who finished fourth in the event last year. 

"It was awesome. It was awesome," Cunningham said. "It was just a great experience."

In Saturday's prelims, Cunningham made an opening statement, hurdling to a national high school record 7.45. He said since he first broke the record with 7.49 in January, he's been trying to go faster every time. 

"Well, we started out (Sunday) with a false start, which I don't like. It makes me nervous," Cunningham said. "(I) had to calm down, and then gun goes off and it's history now."

As simple as his statement, that's how Sunday's performance was. The easy-going Cunningham didn't let the big-time setting or environment faze him. 

"Nothing big, it's just competition, that's all it is," Cunningham said. "Whatever happens is going to happen anyway."

And since he broke the world U-20 record twice this weekend, he also underwent drug testing twice. It prevented him from standing atop the award stand Sunday with the other All-Americans in the event. Damion Thomas of Sunrise, Fla. ran 7.64 for second place, good for No. 9 all-time in the event. 

Cunningham essentially broke four national high school records during the weekend. National Scholastic also timed his 55-meter split and those were records in the prelims and finals as well. He ran 6.88 seconds for 55 meters over the barriers. Florida freshman Grant Holloway had the old record with 7.00 seconds.

Coming into the season, Holloway had the 60 hurdles record with 7.53. Cunningham broke it three times.

Cunningham comes from Winfield in Northwestern Alabama, a town of less than 5,000 people, "where everyone knows everyone." He said he started track in the seventh grade from the encouragement of his cousin. 

"I liked it and stuck with it," Cunningham said. 

After a historic indoor season, the Florida State recruit has lofty goals outdoors. 

"Sub-13 110 (meter) hurdles, and then everything else is just first place," he said. 

That means the record watch will continue. The national high school record is 13.08 by Wayne Davis II in 2009.