Hampton University senior Francena McCorory successfully defended her title in the 400-meter dash Saturday night at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Randal Tyson Track Center.

McCorory set both a school record and American record with a 50.54, winning the second section of the race. Keshia Baker of Oregon won the first section with a 51.63, which wound up being the second-best overall time.

Diane Dixon held the old American record, having run a 50.64 in 1991. McCorory's time was also a collegiate, NCAA meet and facility record.

"I just put it all in God's hands," McCorory said in an interview on ESPN360.com webstream. "I knew I had to get out from the beginning, and I knew I had to lead at the (200-meter) break, and then it was just a matter of pushing through as hard as I could."

In last year's NCAA Indoor Championships, McCorory ran a 51.54 - which was a school record at the time. McCorory, a First Team All-MEAC honoree in the 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash and 4x400-meter relay, gave Hampton its fourth-ever NCAA title.

Yvette Lewis won the triple jump title twice for the Lady Pirates - she won the indoor title in 2006 and an outdoor crown in 2007.

McCorory has won 11 event titles in all over the course of the 2009-10 indoor season, and was named the MEAC Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week three times. She was also the Most Outstanding Runner at the 2010 MEAC Indoor Championships in February, tallying 27.5 points.

Texas A&M's Jessica Beard ran a 52.08, finishing second in her heat and third overall.

A 90-minute tape-delayed broadcast of the NCAA Championships will air on Wednesday, March 17, at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN2.