Pepsi Athlete of the Month: Jada Griffin

Track & Field 6/6/2023 7:00:00 AM

North Carolina A&T women's outdoor track and field sprinter Jada Griffin is the June North Carolina A&T Aggies Pepsi Athlete of the Month for her excellence on the track in May. In May, Griffin won individual outdoor titles at the 2023 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Track and Field Championships in the 400 meters and 200m.

She also ran an incredible 4x400-meter relay anchor leg, running a 50.62-second split to help the Aggies come from behind to win the CAA title in the event with a time of 3:35.87. Griffin scored 22.5 points for the Aggies to earn CAA women's outstanding track athlete for the championships. Griffin won the women's indoor track athlete in February at the CAA meet.

Later in the month, Griffin competed at the 2023 NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Griffin competed in the 200m and 400m, qualifying for NCAA nationals in the 400 with a time of 53.13.

Let's find out more about Jada, the person.

YOU CAN FIND ALL-AMERICANS IN UNUSUAL PLACES

Griffin started running track and field in the second grade. She later developed a growth spurt, which led her to abandon track to play basketball. She was never a huge fan of playing basketball. Griffin even had a hard time remembering what position she played. But she noticed she enjoyed running up and down the court as a basketball player.

That enjoyment led her back to track and field as a sophomore in high school. However, despite having success at Overhills High School in Spring Lakes, NC, in the high jump, 200m and 400m, Griffin decided not to pursue track and field as a collegiate. Her one offer out of high school came from Western Carolina; therefore, she chose college preference over college athletics and decided to attend North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh.

During Griffin's first year at NCSU, the Wolfpack invited her friend Maya Strickland on a visit. Strickland contacted Griffin during the visit and told her to meet her at the NCSU student union. When Griffin arrived, the coach recruiting Strickland, who happened to be the jumps coach, recognized Griffin from when she competed in the high jump at the New Balance Track and Field High School Nationals hosted by A&T in 2017.

He also recognized Griffin's 5-foot-10 athletic slender frame and thought she would be a good fit for the Wolfpack's track and field programs. The Wolfpack did not sign Strickland, she would go on to become a Charlotte 49er, but they did get an excellent walk-on in Griffin.

She started as a high jumper for NCSU before being added to the 4x400-meter relay team and eventually the 4x100. By 2021, Griffin started specializing in the 400m, where she began a strong bond with a three-time Olympian and a gold medalist named Allen Johnson, an assistant coach with the Wolfpack.

Under Johnson's tutelage, Griffin broke the Wolfpack's school record in the 400m at 52.27. He also led Griffin to the 2022 NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round, where she reached the quarterfinals before her season ended. Following the 2022 season, Griffin contemplated transferring from NCSU as a graduate to see if she could grow more as an athlete elsewhere.

Weeks later, Johnson, her mentor and coach, was announced as the director of track and field programs at A&T. Perhaps destiny and fate had descended upon Ms. Griffin simultaneously. She believed a championship program like A&T with Johnson there as her coach formed the perfect landing spot for her final season as a collegiate athlete.

"I really trust coach Johnson's coaching style," said Griffin. "When I came to college, my PR was 56, and now he has got me down to 52. We do have that bond. I trust him to get me where I need to be. He's never steered me wrong."

Griffin became a star at A&T, winning two gold medals (400m, 4x400) at the CAA indoor championships before winning three golds at the conference outdoor championships (400m, 200m, 4x400). She now has a chance to win a national title and become an All-American. That's not bad for a chance visit at a college student union.

"I think about that often," said Griffin about her unusual rise to track and field stardom. "Part of it is maybe I should have believed in myself more coming out of high school. But back then, I didn't think I could be a Division I athlete, let alone a national championship-caliber athlete. I feel super special because I feel like I was overlooked or am I overlooked, so it's all overwhelming. It's all crazy."

THE JADA PROFILEFavorites: Baking, Yoga, Pilates, Hiking and Lasagna.

*Favorite Yoga Pose: Tree Pose. Favorite Book: The Alchemist Favorite Movie: Everything Everywhere All at OnceFavorite Hairstyle: Box Braids Favorite Activities: Picnics and coloring books for adults.Griffin: "I love hiking. I get to clear my mind and don't have to think about anything for three hours. I can be to myself and clear my mind."First Aggie Pride Experience: Homecoming.

Griffin: "I always heard about it, but I never attended. Everyone was talking about it, but I'm thinking homecoming is homecoming. No big deal. But everyone was like, 'How are you doing your hair? How are you doing your lashes? Are you doing your nails?' And this was weeks before it happened. It left me wondering, should I be getting my hair done? And then when it happened, I was like, oh, yeah, this is different. Chloe Bailey and other celebrities were there. People were giving me free food in the parking lot. I thought to myself, this is so cool. I felt like that was my first HBCU experience."

Griffin discusses the snake tattoo on her left forearm: "I like snakes because they shed their skin, so they are always going through transformations, and I feel like that is true to who I am because I'm constantly changing and evolving as a person."

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