Texas Southern men’s track & field student-athlete Chadrick Williams has officially departed for Austin, Texas as he’s set to participate in the 2023 NCAA National Championship in the triple jump on Friday night.
Williams is scheduled to jump at 8:10 p.m. on Friday at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the University of Texas campus. The event will also be streamed live on ESPN+.
Williams earned his first-ever appearance in the NCAA National Championship after finishing in the top 12 at the NCAA Regionals in Sacramento, Calif. last month. He jumped 51-1/4 feet on his first attempt and had to sweat it out from there as his final two attempts were fouls. The Kingston, Jamaica native also posted a personal best in the event as he surpassed the 51-foot mark for the first time ever.
“I’ve always known that I had the talent to make it to nationals,” said Williams. “I have to go out there and execute and fine tune things while being consistent and trusting the process. I’ve also believed in myself a lot more this year, aimed for higher and it paid off.”
With this being the most important meet he’s ever jumped in on tap Friday night, one would assume Williams will shift towards a mini-hibernation and focus on the essentials only. However, he said he won’t change anything in terms of his routine.
“It’s business as usual. I’m an energetic person when I compete so I keep things in terms of how I compete the same,” he said. “There are some new things and rituals I’ve done this season with my coach such as hydration and resting more. I won’t shut the world out but I’ll get into my music heavily (he likes ‘Pieces by Masicka‘) and focus in on watching videos to see what I can improve on.”
To get to this point, Williams had to deal with adversity and several changes this season. He had to overcome an injury suffered during indoor season which delayed his progress at the start of outdoor season which forced him to really understand the word perseverance in his journey back to the track. In addition, TSU head men’s coach Clyde Duncan, Sr. added a new jumps coach in Tristan Ham.
“Coach Duncan has always been there to motivate me,” he said. “He’s always in my corner reminding me how of how great of an athlete I am. He’s been a mentor to me and a big supporter I can lean on.
“I competed against Coach Ham as a freshman and when he was a volunteer coach. We really hit off early and he provides me a lot of flexibility as we both share ideas off each other and come up with innovative ways for us to grow,” he added. “I also have to give credit to my former coaches as they carried me to two regionals so they put me on the right path.”
Williams, who recently graduated with a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. He credits the support of his fraternity brothers and fellow Jamaicans he has come up through the ranks with as motivating factors for his success.
“It’s motivating to see my frat brothers come up to Austin and support me, Williams said. “It’s a good feeling to represent them and another reason why I should maximize my success. As for my fellow Jamaicans, I was always told by coaches in Jamaica that I had the talent to compete against the best. When I competed at regionals, I saw a lot of guys I competed against in high school and to finally be recognized as one of the cream of the crop is motivating. I’ve grown a lot while at TSU as everyone has helped me flourish into the student-athlete I am today.”
Courtesy: TSUSports.com