At an hour when most college students were still in bed last Friday, Jericka Duncan was already on the track, stretching, sprinting and hurdling, unfazed that she was the only person running.
She cleared each hurdle without nipping even one, and made something that is so difficult to do so well look so easy. After every 150-meter repeat, she crossed the infield, chatted with her coach and some observers, got in the blocks and did it again.
She will never tell you that she wants to win or that she wants a school record, but you can tell as much by her actions and her work ethic. People will tell you about her competitive nature, and all you can do is lower your head and nod and agree.
By the time you look up again, she's back in the blocks, ready for more.
The Fluke
There is something about Duncan that sets her apart. She is not supposed to be this good -among the top 50 in her event in the nation -not when she began hurdling just five years ago. She was a basketball player, not a runner.
It was a fluke that Jericka ever started hurdling
her father Ronnie said. There was a girl ahead of her and after watching her technique Jericka told her coach 'I want to try hurdles.' He asked
'Are you crazy?' She said
'Yeah
I want to do it.' The first day that she ever tried it
she was one-tenth of a second off the school record
and he thought something was wrong with his clock. Then he put her in a meet
and in her first meet she broke the school record.
Before graduating from Aurora High School three years ago Duncan won a Division II State championship in the 300 hurdles and ran legs for State champion 400 and 800 relays teams.
And still, nearly every college passed on her, telling her that her times were not what they were looking for, that running at the Division II level had hurt her. Ohio looked at her late, finally biting after that last state title.
I wasn't heavily recruited
and I wasn't offered a lot of money
Duncan said. But in the end
