The DePauw men’s track and field team completed their season at the North Coast Athletic Conference Championships this past weekend, placing fifth in the field of nine teams. Of the many outstanding performances from the weekend, none were quite as special as the showing from first-year Jordan Booker. In his first Conference meet, Booker scored in two events and nearly scored in a third. Booker started his weekend on Friday with the preliminary heat of the 400 meter. He finished with the fastest qualifying time at 49.54.
This set up Booker for a busy second day of the meet, where he competed in the 400 meter final, the 4x400 meter relay and the high jump. Booker started with the 400 meter final, where he dropped his time to 49.45 and finished in second place. Booker came back and anchored the team’s 4x400 meter relay, which won the meet in a time of 3:19.81. Booker then transitioned to the field, where he nearly missed scoring in his third and final event, as he finished in ninth place, jumping a height of 1.73 meters.
Booker’s dominant weekend in an unfamiliar setting earned him Tiger of the Week honors for this week.
The DePauw: How do you feel your team performed at the Conference meet this season?
Jordan Booker: I feel the team performed very well at the conference meet, and we exceeded expectations.
TDP: How does it feel to be a Conference champion in the 4x400 relay as a first-year?
JB: It feels great. DePauw hasn’t won the 4x400 in a while, and I am happy we were finally able to win it.
TDP: What things do you feel you did well over the course of this season to help you do well this season?
JB: I feel I ran very consistent over the course of the season and was able to perform well in big moments.
TDP: What are your goals for your next three years as a member of the track and field team?
JB: My goals are to get faster and stronger each year; so, I can run even faster next year and can compete in other running events as well the 400 meter.
TDP: What do you like most about competing in track and field at the collegiate level?
JB: I like the competitiveness of collegiate track; it is a big jump from high school competition.