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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Bradley Franklin has wasted little time carrying over his high school success to the collegiate stage as he will compete for a national championship as just a true freshman.

Franklin punched his ticket to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championship for outdoor track and field with one of the top times in the men’s 110-meter hurdles on Saturday, May 31 at the East Regional at the University of North Florida.

Competing for the Samford Bulldogs, Franklin qualified for nationals with a time of 13.46 seconds in the event, which was good enough for fifth place in the regional field. He was the only member of the Bulldogs to reach nationals.

Franklin’s regional performance is just one of many standout times from his freshman season. He broke the SoCon record for the 110-meter hurdles at the SoCon Championship on May 13 at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium, securing the conference championship in the process.

His individual title helped Samford secure its fifth-straight conference title in men’s outdoor track and field.

Franklin was named the 2023-24 Shelby County Male Athlete of the Year after placing sixth in the indoor men’s 60-meter hurdles at the 2023 New Balance Nationals and third in the men’s 110-meter hurdles at the outdoor New Balance Nationals in 2024.

He also finished undefeated in his senior indoor season in the hurdles. Franklin finished 7-0 in the 60-meter hurdles, including the Class 7A state championship with a personal-record time of 7.62 seconds. He would beat that time at nationals to record a 7.61-second time.

Franklin then won eight of his nine starts in the 110-meter hurdles and set a new state championship meet record with a time of 13.37 seconds to win his second-straight title in the event. His then personal-record time beat out Hoover alum Marlon Humphrey for the state record.

Franklin also won the 300-meter hurdle state championship after going 5-0 in the event and finished in fifth place in the 100-meter dash state finals in 2024.

Franklin will compete in the 110-meter hurdle national championship at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. The semifinals will be Wednesday, June 11 at 7:08 p.m. central time on ESPN and the finals will be Friday, June 13 at 7:42 p.m. on ESPN2. Both will also be streamed on ESPN+.

In other county news, Pelham native Erin Long competed in regionals for Samford but missed out on qualifying for her second-career nationals. She finished in 18th place with a throw of 47.97 after winning the SoCon Championship in the event earlier in the month.