It has been the season of some record-breaking talent in American sports. While Penn State created history at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, NHL star Alex Ovechkin is nearing Wayne Gretzky’s record of the most goals scored in the league. Similarly, softball is also in the news regarding a major record achieved recently. Tennessee star Karlyn Pickens threw the fastest pitch in college softball history, sending her name into the record books. While she is making big strides on the field, Pickens also has a colorful personal life.

Pickens is dating basketball sensation Jack Browder. He is the Carson-Newman men’s basketball sophomore forward and has been excelling on the court, with many achievements to his credit. Last year, he became the first man in the history of Carson-Newman’s Athletic Department to win the South Atlantic Conference’s President’s Award, making him the first-ever athlete from the school to receive this prestigious honor.

Pickens and Browder share an adorable bond and often post glimpses of the time spent together on their social media handles. Going by their public profiles, the two first shared their pictures together last year at Lake Keowee. “Happiest here,” Pickens wrote as she shared a tight hug with her boyfriend. Earlier this year, Pickens celebrated her 21st birthday, and Browder was beside her as she cut the cake.

While Browder isn’t very active on social media, Pickens never fails to share a glimpse of the adorable time spent with her boyfriend. Last year, the two also attended the Morgan Wallen concert, and the softball star shared some adorable pictures of the two as they stood by each other hand-in-hand. Commenting on that post, Browder wrote, “The best,” denoting how close the two are to each other. While Pickens is surely enjoying her personal life, her recent softball achievement has been much talked about in the American sporting setup.

Karlyn Pickens enters the Guinness Book of World Records

The 21-year-old, who is the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year, was up against Arkansas junior Kailey Wyckoff in the sixth inning during the face-off in Knoxville a couple of days back. In that game, Pickens fired a record-breaking pitch, which hit 78.2 MPH, becoming the fastest pitch recorded in college softball history. Interestingly, the previous record was held by another Tennessee Lady Vol, Monica Abbott, who had clocked a 77 MPH pitch in a National Pro Fastpitch game, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

With her 78.2 MPH pitch, Pickens broke a 12-year record held by Abbott. Additionally, she also helped Tennessee defeat Arkansas with a scoreline of 3-2 and avoid a sweep. Earlier, the Razorbacks took the first two games of the series and the record-setter Pickens pitched the final 4.1 innings to help Tennessee to the victory. With this, she also improved her record this season to 11-4. Interestingly, Tennessee star Ben Joyce holds the record for the fastest pitch in the men’s college game, and the college now boasts both the record setters in this regard.

Certainly, Pickens is the star to look forward to in the sport and her transition to the senior level from the collegiate level would be closely followed. Nonetheless, for now, she can cherish her massive achievement and celebrate it with her boyfriend.