Some athletes are good students, while others perform well
on the playing field. It's not
often you find a good student, who is an exceptional athlete. The demands on student-athletes
requires them to be strict with their time management.
FAMU track star Leon Hunt has mastered them both, graduating
from FAMU in May with a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration,
and this past weekend qualifying for the NCAA National Championship meet in Des
Moines, Iowa in June. This follows
winning the long jump in both the MEAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships.
The St. Croix,Virgin Islands native is as cool a customer as
you'll ever meet. The lanky 6'3"
sprinter/jumper has been constantly improving since coming to FAMU, and is the
model athlete for his focused demeanor.
Hunt explained his focus saying,
"I'm happy to be going to the NCAA nationals and happy to represent
FAMU. All of my family has been calling me for the last four days. My island, the Virgin Islands, has been
contacting me and they are very happy and it feels good," Hunt said.
With his regional tournament leap of 7.64m (25.00-. 75 ft) last week, he was able to qualify for the
nationals without taking his last remaining leap. He set his country's record earlier this season for
indoor and outdoor in the long jump.
He reached a personal best at the Niswonger Invitational Meet at Middle
Tennessee State, where he leaped 7.75m (25'4"). His Virgin Islands coach Wallace Williams makes no
qualms about how excited he is about Hunt's accomplishments. "He's very focused," Williams said of
Hunt. Hunt's marks have qualified
him for the Pan-American games this October in Guadalajara, Mexico.
FAMU men's track coach Wayne Angel feels a rejuvenation in
Hunt's performances. "I feel very
excited for the opportunity for Leon Hunt heading into the nationals. I'm really excited about this next step
for Leon and FAMU. When you can
make it at a national level, it means you've put a lot of work in, commitment
and dedication and that they're a touch above the best," Angel said. Angel attributed Hunt's increased
success to training. "I think his
fitness level was much higher and technically, he's just much better," Angel
concluded.
Hunt points directly to his regimen for his increased
success. He added, "If you want to
jump as far as you would like to jump, me personally trying to jump 26 feet
now, you've got to put in the time.
Time is the key. It took me
a while, but I found some missing pieces and we got it together."
Hunt graduated in May from FAMU's prestigious School of
Business and Industry, and feels that graduation was a solid accomplishment for him and his loved ones. "Graduation was a very special
day. My family came down from
northern America and from the Virgin Islands and they were very proud," he said.
He added, "Its pressure to have a whole country behind
you. It's good pressure and
good stress all at the same time, because when you've got somebody behind you,
you feel like you've got something extra in your stride on the runway."
