Background
Erica Bougard was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but grew up in Byhalia, Mississippi.
Erica Bougard was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but grew up in Byhalia, Mississippi.
Her first sport was basketball. She took up track and field at Byhalia High School, and went to Mississippi State University on a track scholarship. She made her international debut at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Barcelona, placing 13th.
In the heptathlon, Bougard is strong in the five running and jumping events, but weak in the shot put and javelin throw.
At the outdoor National Collegiate Athletic Association meet she placed fourth in the heptathlon (with a personal best 5976 points) and sixteenth in the long jump. Two weeks later, she improved to 5990 points at the 2013 United States of America Outdoor Track and Field Championships, placing third and qualifying for the senior World Championships in Moscow.
Bougard scored 5829 points at the World Championships, placing 24th. At the 2014 National Collegiate Athletic Association indoor championships Bougard was second to Williams with 4586 points.
Both Williams and Bougard broke the previous collegiate record of 4569 points by Makeba Alcide.
Outdoors, Bougard redshirted the collegiate season but broke 6000 points for the first time at the United States championships, repeating her third place from the previous year with 6118 points. At the 2015 USATF championships Bougard placed third for the third consecutive year, improving her best to 6288 points and qualifying for the World Championships in Beijing.
She was National Collegiate Athletic Association indoor champion in 2013 and represented the United States at the 2013 World Championships. She won the heptathlon at the 2012 United States Junior Championships, scoring 5547 points. She trailed Kendell Williams through six events, but overtook her in the 800 meters. As a sophomore, Bougard won the pentathlon at the 2013 National Collegiate Athletic Association indoor championships, scoring a school record 4399 points. In 2015 Bougard again placed second to Williams at the National Collegiate Athletic Association indoor meet, this time with 4566 points. Outdoors, she scored a personal best 6250 points at the Securities and Exchange Commission championships and entered the National Collegiate Athletic Association outdoor championships as the collegiate leader, but only placed fourth as Akela Jones won.
