DEMOREST, Ga. – Piedmont Track and Field senior ANTHONY JORDAN isn't ashamed to admit that even he is a little bit surprised by the way the 2022 indoor track and field season has played out.
 
Did he think that qualifying for the national championships was possible? Sure, it was possible if things worked out right and he prepared to the full extent. But did he think he would enter this Friday's long jump event as one of the favorites to bring home a national title? Well, that's another story.
 
"I never thought I would be in this situation, honestly," Jordan admitted in an interview on Wednesday. "I was doing good jumps, but national-championship-winning jumps? Nah, I'd never think that."
 
On Friday, Jordan will become Piedmont's first men's track and field athlete ever to compete at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field National Championships. Not only did he qualify for the field of 20 athletes in the long jump event, but he also enters as the No. 2 seed after putting up the second-best mark in all of Division III this indoor season.
 
Jordan's mark of 7.45-meters is a school record and is just 0.03 meters shy of the top DIII mark this season, which was set by Sam Blaskowski of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
 
The Adel native is excited about the opportunity in front of him, one he didn't see coming when the season started, but he's not surprised that he's part of the field on Friday.
 
"Coach Remel (Williams) had us write down our goals, and at first my goal was just to make nationals. Make it there, and maybe make All-American," Jordan said. "But over the last couple of weeks, now I'm thinking, 'Well, let's just change the goal and let's go win.'"
 
Jordan's 7.45-meter jump came at the University of South Carolina Indoor Open just under a month ago on February 18. Since then, he's competed at only one meet, the D3 Atlantic Indoor Championship.
 
At that meet, which was also at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Jordan won the long jump event, won the triple jump event with a new school-record mark, and finished third in the 60-meter dash.
 
While his primary focus is jumps, second-year assistant coach Remel Williams, has helped him recognize the importance of diversifying his training and how improving his sprints can pave the way for improving his jumps.
 
"She cares a lot about you, not only as an athlete, but as a person off the track. Senior year's hard, you know, and she's pushed me through that," Jordan said.
 
"My approach for my long jump, over the year, has gotten faster. Even my 60 times show I've gotten faster every week," Jordan said. "At first, I told her I didn't want to do any sprint work because I didn't see the importance of it, I just wanted to do jump work. But she said 'you need to be a good sprinter, too' and she's really guided me through that."
 
With help from Williams and head coach Jamie Jimison, Jordan has put together one of the best indoor seasons the program has ever seen. On top of qualifying for nationals and setting two school records, Jordan was also a United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region athlete for the second straight year while being the first in Piedmont history to be named the USTFCCCA Field Athlete of the Year in the South Region.
 
It's been a stellar season to this point for Jordan, and it could conclude with a trophy on Friday night.
 
The NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships is set to take place this weekend at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with the long jump event currently scheduled to begin on Friday, March 11, at 5:00 p.m.
 
To stay up to date on all information regarding Piedmont University Athletics, be sure to visit PiedmontLions.com and connect with the Green and Gold on social media. Follow the Lions on Twitter: @PiedmontLions, Instagram: @PiedmontLions, and Facebook. 
Print Friendly Version