Jessica Young shining as a redshirt
3/7/2008 12:00:00 AM
March 7, 2008
In The Know
By: Blake Enis
College athletes of all sports seem to be contesting world records every year. Track and field is no exception. TCU sprinter Jessica Young (Colombia, S.C./ Ridge View HS) has proven she belongs among this elite group of world-class athletes.
Originally a student at the University of Richmond in Virginia, Young made a habit of breaking records. In her first outdoor race as a collegiate runner, she ran her way right into the record books breaking the school mark in the 400-meter dash. Although that is an amazing accomplishment in itself, Young would go on to shatter that record eight more times in her two-year career as a Spider.
Young's outstanding performance led her to become the first female sprinter in school history to qualify for the NCAA Regional Championships and the NCAA Indoor Championship in the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes.
She also left her mark on NCAA track and field with her exceptional contribution to the Spider's 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams, leading them to success in these races earned her a position on the USA 4x400 relay team in the World Junior Championships in Beijing China.
Young's spectacular collegiate career comes as no surprise to anyone who saw her perform at Bridge View High School, where she was undefeated in the 400-meter dash as a senior and was ranked seventh in the nation among all high school seniors.
Young, who is redshirting this season, landed in Fort Worth, Texas where she is looking to capitalize on an already exceptional career. She has picked up right where she left off, placing fifth overall in the 60-meter dash at the 2008 AT&T Track and Field Championships with a time of 7.25. Earlier this season, the Columbia, S.C., native, clocked a time of 7.19 seconds to finish first overall in the event at the Tyson Invitational. Her time is currently tied for the eighth fastest time clocked in the world.
Even though Young has built an impressive resume she may have just scratched the surface of her abilities. As she matures and gains more confidence as a sprinter, there is no telling what she can accomplish before her career ends at TCU.
Young sat down with the TCU Athletics staff to talk about her experiences as a collegiate runner for the Horned Frogs.
Talk a little bit about your trip to Boston.
"My trip to Boston was a great experience. It was very different from last year when I had a coach there with me, but this year I had to go alone. I do have a lot of family so that made it easier for me."
What was it like competing against such fine athletes?
"Actually, I'm pretty used to competing against great athletes so it really wasn't that bad. Overall, I try no to focus too much on who's in the race. I was glad that I could go against some of the best 60-meter runners though."
How do you feel overall?
"Overall, I feel that I did my best considering my circumstances going into the meet. Running a personal best would have been great, but I know that it would have been a stretch considering I didn't get to do my normal preparation. I guess I can't really complain because it was much faster than I had ran last year in that same race."
Since you are redshirting, how has this indoor season gone for you?
"This indoor season has actually gone better than I had expected coming into it. I certainly didn't expect that I'd be running under 7.20 in the 60. It was a struggle getting to the meets and doing everything separate from the team, but the results were really good in the end for me."
What is it like to be at TCU?
"Being at TCU is great. I especially love being able to live off campus and have my own place. Also, the professors here are very understanding and helpful."
You ran the sixth fastest time in the world a couple of weekends ago, what was that like?
"Wow, I can't even tell you what it was like. It was very surprising for me. It's great to know that I have the ability to do something like that, but I know that the real goal for me is to get my 400 meters time under 51 seconds. I'm proud of my 60 accomplishments, but it would mean more to me to have something like that happen this outdoor season."
What do you do when you are not competing?
"When I'm not competing I like to hang out with my teammates, maybe go out somewhere. Most of the time I'm just hanging out at home or at Virgil's place since she's always cooking! I love to eat!"
What are you majoring in and why?
"I'm doubling in communication and advertising/pr. I chose these majors because I like to talk and I think that it's important to have good communication skills. Also, I chose it because I'm interested in the media and I'm always watching commercials. I hope to open my own advertising agency."
Players Mentioned
