Lady Lightning

Iyana Gray has taken the Big 12 by storm since transferring to TCU, medaling in the 100- and 200-meter dash events at the indoor and outdoor conference championships the past two years. She was also a part of TCU’s runner-up 4 x 100 relay team at last spring’s Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championship. 

The program’s all-time fastest runner in the indoor 200-meter dash (22.71), Gray said her greatest accomplishment is balancing athletic responsibilities with a demanding course load.

“I don’t let my grades slip, but I also don’t slip on the track,” she said. “I’m proud of the way I can discipline myself to take time each day to study, take time to make sure I eat right, make sure I go to sleep on time … just doing everything in my power that it takes to be the best.”

Iyana Gray was a standout at Houston’s Eisenhower High School before taking her talents to UT-Arlington and later TCU. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

How old were you when you first ran track?

I was 12. I’m from Houston, Texas, and we have a lot of AAU track teams there.

Have you always been fast?

Yeah. When they lined us up, it was girls and boys, and I beat everybody. Growing up, playing games with the kids in my apartment, it was like, “We want Iyana on our team.” I was always an athlete.

Did you play any other sports growing up as well?

A little volleyball and basketball in middle school. I didn’t like it. It wasn’t individualistic enough for me.

What are you majoring in at TCU?

I’m currently in nursing school at TCU. I’m in my third semester, and I like the program here.

TCU has a lot of opportunities, especially in our nursing school. We have electives that help us get experience in the areas we want to work in once we get out of nursing school. When I go into the workforce, people can see that I already have a lot of experience.

Iyana Gray earned outdoor track & field second-team All-America honors in 2024. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

I’m in my psych rotation right now, and our second rotation is at a hospital.

We get to go to different areas of the hospital. One week it might be an emergency room. Another week it might be the post-anesthesia care unit. We get to do all the rotations in the hospital.

It transfers to the classroom. We have the clinical, then the lecture, and it just goes together.

What specific training routines have impacted your development as a student-athlete?

The weight room. To be a successful Division I track and field athlete, we have to be strong. We have a long season. It’s taxing on our bodies to run the fastest every other week. Once I came to TCU, I saw a difference in my appearance. I feel like the weight room coach and the weight room program were beneficial for my success.  

Second, I feel like always having a good training partner is very good. I feel like my coach did a good job of recruiting girls who helped me by pushing me in practice every day.

Who has been your biggest influence, and how have they shaped you as a person?

My biggest influence is my mom. I feel like my parents, in general, raised me to be a very independent person, and they always told me, “Iyana, you could be the best. You could be the fastest.”

“My biggest influence is my mom. I feel like my parents, in general, raised me to be a very independent person, and they always told me, ‘Iyana, you could be the best. You could be the fastest.’ ”
Iyana Gray

My parents helped shape me into a confident person. I always saw them get up every day, go to work and take care of us. I saw my parents show what it is to be an independent person. And whatever you want to do, you can go out there and you can do it. The world is yours.

What are your goals for this upcoming season?

I’ve won the Penn Relays 100-meter dash twice, so one goal is to be the three-time champion in the 100 at Penn Relays. Of course, I want to win the Big 12’s again, go to the national level and finish in the top three. As a team, I feel like our 4 x 100-meter team this year will make it to the finals of the national meet and bring home a trophy. I feel that it’s going to happen.

Do you have any personal rituals before a race?

I make sure my mind is in the right spot. Before I go to bed the night before a meet, I tell myself, “You don’t want to be good. You want to be great.”

That’s one thing I tell myself the most, even at practice, when I’m down and feel tired. That gets me to snap back into it.

Is there a particular track or stadium that has a special meaning for you?

I would say the Arkansas track. I don’t know why I always run so fast there.  

I like the Oregon track. It’s perfect, honestly. It’s big. It’s nice.

Is there a meet on this season’s schedule that you’re most excited about?

I’m most excited for indoor nationals because last year was my first time going. I want to redeem myself, and now I know what it feels like to get there. I think this year I can make an impact and get on the medal stand.

Iyana Gray is the two-time defending Penn Relays 100-meter dash champion. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

What is your favorite event to run?

I love the 200 because I love to run the curve. There’s something about getting off the blocks and going around the curve. The 100 is just so fast. It’s over in 11 seconds. The 200 is technical, but it’s not as technical as the 100, where every little thing has to be perfect.

So I love the 200. You can get a good race in. Somebody might come off the curb first, but what are they going to do in the last 50?

What is your biggest dream for your future?

I would love to go pro and run in the Olympics. But my biggest dream is to be happy.