“I think it is important for college athletes to be team–oriented and hard–working. It is also important to be focused on school first. My favorite part about being a college athlete is being surrounded by very talented athletes that are all pushing each other to be faster.”
Jeremiah Boyd, sophomore math and education major, grew up in Plainview, Texas, moving to Donalds, South Carolina before seventh grade
“Throughout my childhood I was always interested in road races because my father ran a lot of marathons,” Boyd said.
Despite years of interest, Boyd did not have the option to run competitively until his freshman year at Dixie High School, where a cross country team was newly established.
“My high school running career was all about building a running culture. I trained hard with my teammates to be the best that we could be with the tools that we had,” Boyd said.
For Boyd, Winthrop began as just a name on a long list of universities he was considering. After an extensive amount of research, he said that “Winthrop was the only place with good athletic programs and the academic program that [he] wanted.”
Ben Paxton, head coach for both men’s and women’s cross country and track and field programs since 1993, was one of the main reasons Boyd chose Winthrop for his collegiate running career.
“Winthrop cross country is coached by the most experienced coach in the area. The opportunity to learn from Coach Ben Paxton was a big deal for me,” Boyd said.
Paxton’s years of coaching have led the Eagles to fifty-nine individual titles, ten relay titles, two team championships and more than 300 athletes earning All-Big South honors.
The abundance of determination and experience in both programs helped lead Boyd to setting four outstanding personal records for the 2019-2020 season, with two for cross country and two for track.
During his first collegiate cross country event, Boyd set a 5K PR (personal record) time of 17:43.0 at the Coastal Carolina Invitational on Aug. 30, 2019, earning him a 16th place finish.
At the Winthrop Adidas Cross Country Invitational on Sept. 14, 2019, Boyd Set an 8K PR time of 29:21.0.
Although he preferred cross country during high school, Boyd said he now loves the one-mile race in track and field.
“I am very happy with my race times from last season, but I still want to get faster,” Boyd said.
For his collegiate track and field debut at the Carolina Challenge from Jan. 31-Feb. 1, Boyd set a PR for the mile with a time of 4:40.31.
Later at the VMI Indoor Classic from Feb. 14-15, Boyd set an 800m PR with a time of 2:05.30.
“Our coach does an excellent job getting the team prepared for race day,” Boyd said. “Beyond preparing the body it is important to get your mind ready to race. I find that visualizing the race beforehand is a powerful thing,”
Praying for strength and endurance while tying his shoes before each race, Boyd also looks to his favorite Bible verse for inspiration.
“Hebrews 12:1 — ‘Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.’ I love this verse because it is a reminder to stay focused and to be patient because God’s timing is perfect,” Boyd said.
With the 2020 outdoor track season postponed due to COVID-19, Boyd is still training and working towards his goal of bringing his team closer together.
“The closer the pack runs together the better the team will be in the long run. Our team is very young and we are all pulling together for a potential winter cross country season,” Boyd said.
Even though the postponement of fall sports seasons is disappointing for many, Boyd is using the time to focus on other hobbies and his academics.
“Besides running, I work on the family farm in the summers. I love spending time with my teammates and sharing meals with them,” he said.
Though he still has time to bond with his teammates and competitively race, Boyd is already dreaming of life beyond the Winthrop campus.
“After graduation I want to use my knowledge in math and running to teach high school math and coach cross country and track,” Boyd said.”I definitely want to start my career in South Carolina.”
Photo courtesy of Winthrop Athletics
