Soaring into first place in the Big South Conference for high jump is senior Eagle Jalen Hodges. Over the last couple weeks Hodges has competed outstandingly, breaking his personal records.
“It was a great feeling because I pushed myself to work hard in practice and the weight room knowing this would be my last indoor season,” Hodges said.
In Lexington, VA, on Feb. 14 and 15, Hodges jumped a 2m even at the VMI Indoor Classic.
The following weekend, Feb. 21 and 22, he cleared a personal record of 2.06m at the Virginia Tech Challenge in Blacksburg, VA.
“I always call my family back home to tell them how I did and it always makes my day to see they are proud of me. They’ve sacrificed a lot for me to be here,” Hodges said. “My mom and dad are who inspire me honestly. Seeing everything we’ve been through and how hard they worked to give me the best opportunity to succeed in life pushes me to be the best I can be.”
“We are excited to put forward all we have been working on this winter season. We can’t wait to see our big three seniors, Harper Henson, Evan Hailes and Jalen Hodges, perform at the championships,” said Head Coach Ben Paxton.
The Eagles traveled to Blacksburg, VA, for the second weekend in a row to compete in the Big South Championships on Feb. 28 and 29. By the end of Friday, the men’s Distance Medley Relay boosted the Eagles to seventh place. Hodges leaped 2.08m, earning the title of third in the high jump Championship, and had three podium finishes on Saturday.
Coach Paxton has coached the men’s and women’s cross country and track and field programs since 1993. He is only Winthrop’s third cross country coach in history and is the first track and field head coach.
Although Hodges will not be competing in the NCAA Championship, Paxton has led seven other Eagles to the NCAA Championship during his 27 years at Winthrop.
Hodges has a specific playlist of his favorite tunes for his track and field meet days that he always listens to before his meets. While traveling to compete at various schools, Hodges’ favorite part of being a student athlete, he also enjoys simply taking in the scenery.
“I like to walk around other campuses after I compete,” Hodges said.
Originally a basketball player in high school, Hodges did not become involved with high jump until eleventh grade.
“I was always fascinated with dunking growing up. The high jump coach for the track team at my high school had seen my ability to jump through my basketball games and he invited me to come out and try it … I fell in love with it,” Hodges said.
Even though Hodges adores competing and jumping, he explains that “there’s not enough money in track in field to have a living unless you’re a top 10 jumper in the world,” so he will most likely no longer compete once he graduates.
On the plus side, Hodges already plans to “get right to work,” following an opportunity into a full-time job after graduation. Over his time at Winthrop, Hodges has been studying business administration with a concentration in computer information systems.
Having effective time management and planning skills are definitely needed for Hodges’ future career, and are qualities that Hodges learned from being a high jump athlete.
“Being so busy working hard on the track, in the classroom, and in organizations hasn’t been easy, but it’s helped prepare me for challenges I’ll face someday,” Hodges said.
Next up the Eagles will open their outdoor season in Wilmington, NC, at the UNCW Invitational on March 20 and 21.
Photo provided by Winthrop Athletics
