Chanel Brissett is ready for the nice weather and beaches of Southern California.
The Cheltenham senior signed a National Letter of Intent with the University of Southern California (USC) on Tuesday. She picked the Pac 12 school over Kentucky, Florida, and Florida State. She signed her letter at Cheltenham High School surrounded by reporters, her coaches, her family and teammates.
"I weighed out the pros and the cons list, and I just decided this is where I wanted to be," Brissett said. "I liked the team. I felt the focused there. I felt like I could have the most benefits after I leave school."
USC is also the alma mater of Nia Ali, a fellow Philadelphia area resident and Olympic medalist from this past summer's Rio Games. Brissett said she has not spoken with her about her decision to attend USC.
Ultimately, Brissett would like to one day become a professional and felt USC offered her the best opportunity to pursue those goals. USC's warm weather and promixity to the beach doesn't hurt, either.
"The beach is right there," she said. "I love nice weather."
She joins her brother at the Division I level. Christian Brissett currently competes for the University of Iowa after strong career at Cheltenham.
Brissett has a very successful junior season. In the winter, she won a state title in the 60 meter hurdles and was second in the 60-meter dash. Outdoors, Brissett won the state title and set a new state meet record in the 100-meter hurdles. Her 4x100-meter relay team shattered the state record, winning in 45.78. She went on to win the 100-meter hurdles at New Balance Nationals Outdoor and compete at the Olympic Trials, where she tied the state record with a time of 12.95 in the semifinals.
