When the going gets tough, the tough get going—and if you ever needed proof, just look at Clemson’s 21-year-old Jamaican junior and track and field star Oneka Wilson. She’s been on a tear lately! On April 19, at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Wilson stared down a brutal -3.1 m/s headwind and still flew to victory in the women’s 100m hurdles, clocking 13.06, which was also her then season best.  She didn’t just win, but she dominated by 0.16 seconds! Against names like Myreanna Bebe (13.22) and Marcia Sey (13.23), Wilson made it look almost easy. And if you thought that was it for her? Think again!

Because Oneka wasn’t done writing headlines yet,  and what came next was even more electric! Well, April 26 offered a different kind of challenge for her at Franklin Field, and it wasn’t just about speed or medals this time. The weather gods had their own wild plans! Rain came and went in flashes, drenching the track, leaving athletes battling not just rivals, but the elements. This was the 129th edition of the Penn Relays, a tradition born way back in 1895.

But April showers didn’t hold back track and field rising star Oneka Wilson, and frankly, she wasn’t about to hold herself back either! Wearing bib No. 3 in blue, Oneka didn’t exactly blast off the blocks in the 100m hurdles the way she would have liked. Honestly, it looked like Jaiya Covington from Texas A&M had the race under control for most of the way.

Covington led through the early hurdles, smooth and composed, while Wilson seemed to be finding her rhythm. But Wilson found a way, and Wilson sure did. Over the final few hurdles, she shifted gears, storming past Covington when it mattered most, and with a slight -0.1 m/s headwind at Franklin Field, Wilson powered through to clock 12.94 seconds, a new season’s best.

Covington finished second at 13.00, and Jasmine Harmon took third with 13.17. For Wilson, it marked a huge statement — two major wins in back-to-back weekends, under completely different conditions. A week ago, she battled a brutal -3.1 m/s headwind in Gainesville, now she conquered a wet, unpredictable Penn Relays stage.

These two were not a fluke, but the Jamaican athlete has been on a tear lately!

A look back at the Track and Field rising star’s season

Oneka Wilson’s indoor season began with promise at the Clemson Invite in January. The Jamaican hurdler clocked 8.21 in the finals after blazing through her heat with an 8.13. That same weekend, she showed her versatility with a solid 7.55 in the 60m flat. Later in the same month at the Orange and Purple Invitational, Wilson maintained her consistency, matching her 8.13 from earlier while also testing herself in the 200m with a respectable 24.50.

The Bob Pollock Invitational saw another step forward as she lowered her time to 8.09 in the 60m hurdles, building momentum toward the championship season. The ACC Championships became her crowning achievement. After cruising through her heat in 8.17, Wilson delivered when it mattered most, winning the final in 8.09 and making history as the first athlete to claim three consecutive conference titles in the 60m hurdles.

That achievement was such huge that Clemson track and field and Cross Country program’s director Mark Elliott praised her, “In terms of leadership, she’s first-class—on the field and off the field,” Elliott said to SPORTSMAX. “She works hard in everything she does. Oneka has risen from being very shy at first to now being one of those vocal leaders. People follow her based on just her work ethic—and that’s in the classroom as well.”

The NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships in Virginia provided the biggest stage, and Wilson rose to the occasion, and her 7.99 performance earned her third place against the nation’s elite and marked her season best. As the outdoor season began, Wilson transitioned to the 100m hurdles, immediately making an impact with a wind-legal 13.16 victory at the Duke Invitational.