There’s just no stopping Peabody High’s Alex Jackson. Or, All-American Alex Jackson.
Competing against the top shot-putters in the nation, Jackson, who is already being recruited by some top Division 1 track programs despite his junior status, secured All-American honors with a fifth place finish at Saturday’s Nike Indoor Nationals meet at The Armory in New York City in just his second time competing at Nike Nationals.
“I felt really good all week going in but didn’t like my warm-ups, but we figured it out,” Jackson said. “I just needed to trust myself and keep doing what I’ve been doing all season long.”
The mindset adjustment paid off nearly instantly. Jackson opened with a throw of 58-05, then stepped it up and threw 60-05.5 on his second attempt. The throw was just a half inch off his career best of 60-06, which he set at the MIAA Division 2 Indoor Track and Field Championship on February 16.
Jackson’s throw coach, Jay Smith, saw it a little bit differently.
“I think Alex is being a little hard on himself. His warm-up wasn’t nearly as bad as he suggests,” Smith said. “We did make some technical adjustments and focused on working on the things that we’ve worked on all season. Alex felt great all weekend. The big thing for him is that nationals is no longer a circus. He wasn’t wide-eyed in awe. He knew he belonged there and did a great job managing his energy all weekend. That’s been our message since the New Englands.”
Jackson also competed in the weight throw. He threw 62-11.5 and finished 17th.
“Alex is very much a groove thrower and really bounced back well from the weight throw the day before,” Smith said. “A lot of other kids he’s competed against fell apart, but Alex really held his own and was stronger than most of the kids today. He competed well compared to the other kids who didn’t and he got back over 60′ again, which is important.”
The long weekend at The Armory caught up to Jackson Sunday. Less than 24 hours after competing at the Nike meet (and after a nearly six-hour car ride home to Peabody, getting home at 10:45 p.m) Jackson was back in Boston competing in the shot put at the New Balance Nationals at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center. Jackson was a bit off, finishing 27th with a throw of 54-04.75. He narrowly missed qualifying for the final with what would have been a 60-foot plus throw, only to foul out with a circle violation.
“It was a reach competing in both meets, but he gave it his best shot. He came through on Saturday, but to come home late and throw again after losing an hour of sleep with the clock change, it was definitely a factor. Alex was tired and it definitely affected him.”
“But overall, the weekend was a huge success in terms of where Alex is going. We needed a big throw and we got that. We needed him to do well and we got that… Saturday was a testament to him in terms of being able to maintain a high level of concentration, and that showed.”
