California Collegiate Athletics Association

Rosalyn Bryant has a case for being the best sprinter the CCAA has ever seen, and few could argue with that claim. Bryant dominated the sprints for the Golden Eagles from 1976 to 1978, and she used that success as a springboard to represent the United States many times on the national stage, including the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
 
The Chicago native came to Cal State LA having just won the 100 meters at the US National Championships in 1975. From there, she would dominate on the track, winning national championships in every sprint race at the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) Championships. She won the 100m with a time of 11.53 and backed it up by winning the 200m with a time of 23.70. She would add the 400m title in 1977 (51.79). Bryant completed the feat in 1978 as her sprint medley relay team of Valerie Milan, Yolanda Rich, and Cynthia Mills set a world record with a time of 1:37.29. That mark held as the world record until 1981, and it remains the 13th fastest in history.
 
While Bryant was dominating in college, she also represented the United States in two events at the 1976 Olympics, wearing the Red, White, and Blue. Bryant teamed up with Debra Sapenter, Sheila Ingram, and Pamela Jiles to earn a silver medal in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:19.23. Bryant ran the anchor leg and registered a split of 49.7 seconds to lock in the second-place finish. Byrant would finish as the top American in the 400m, placing fifth with a U.S.A.-record time of 50.65.
 
She would continue to make her mark on the world stage, proving that the 1976 Olympics were only the start of a very decorated career. In 1977, she set world records in the 220-yard and 500-yard races at the world indoor championships. She added a gold medal in the 1979 World University Games by winning the 400m. Bryant then competed at the inaugural 1983 World Track & Field Championships, where she represented the US in both the open 400m and the 4x400m relay.
 
Bryant would be named the recipient of Cal State LA’s All-University Award in 1978 and was a member of its inaugural Hall of Fame class in 1985. Bryant was also inducted into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Hall of Fame in 2024.