After helping the Brookhaven High girls’ track and field team win a third straight MHSAA 5A state title earlier this month, seniors Sierra Edwards and Chrisiyona Quarles said they’d need some time to sort their next steps as several college programs from around the state wanted to sign the duo.

On Friday in a ceremony held just before they graduated from BHS, Edwards and Quarles put pen to paper to continue running for the University of Southern Mississippi.

Edwards won the 100-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles at the state meet back on May 4. Her time of 14.23 seconds in the 100-meter run set a new state record.

Quarles was runner-up to Edwards in both hurdles events and won the 200-meter dash at the state meet. Together, the pair teamed up with senior Jasmine Robertson and freshman Jaysha Johnson to win the 4×400 relay as well.

At Southern Miss, they’ll run for head coach Jon Stuart. The Golden Eagles just wrapped up their NCAA Regional Meet at the University of Kentucky, where the 4×100 relay team qualified to run next at the NCAA Championships next month in Eugene, Oregon.