Jackson Sets Sights on National Title

May 21, 2001

The most exciting news to come from a recent interview session with Monmouth College track All-American Constance Jackson is that the sprinter from Peoria, IL, is not yet ready to end her Fighting Scots’ career.

The most interesting aspect was learning more about Jackson, a student and mother who just happens to be one of the fastest female athletes to ever attend Monmouth College.

In the spring of 1999, the bad news for the outdoor track team was that it would be without the services of Jackson, then a sophomore, who was pregnant and would miss the season. The good news for coach Roger Haynes and his future 2002 outdoor squad is that Jackson will return to make up for her redshirt season, and she’ll likely be adding to the many records she’s set in her MC career.

"I think it will certainly give her a chance to focus on individual things, like the open 200," said Haynes. "She’ll have a full year of training for very specific things, and it will be a great opportunity for her."

Since all Jackson does is "win, win, win" at Midwest Conference meets – she’s earned 20 individual and relay titles at the last two sets of indoor and outdoor meets alone – it’s no surprise that the brief interruption in her career has turned into a "win-win" situation.

She has a wonderful son, Terrell, who’s now 18 months old, and she also came back even faster, as evidenced by her amazing performance at the 2001 MWC Indoor Championships in March, where she won all six events she entered, including three in MC school-record time.

"Yes, I’m a little surprised," she said. "I was worried I’d get a little slower. But Coach Haynes told me that a lot of world-class athletes come back from having a child with a little extra weight, which they turn into muscle. I went directly back to the original weight I was before I had my son."

"Her work ethic has always been fine," said Haynes. "She’s able to focus on things as they come, one at a time. I think that maturity has helped her."

Of Terrell, Jackson says, "Ninety percent of the time, he’s a happy baby, but when he has a temper, he has a bad temper for an 18-month old. It’s funny, really, because he seems like he’s

too short to do the pouting and the crossing of his arms like he does."

Terrell may have a future in track – and not just because of his All-American mother.

"He’s a copycat," said Jackson. "He goes to meets with me, and he copies everyone he sees. After I long jump, he wants to go jump in the sand. After a relay, he wants to play with the baton. I even saw him throwing trash out of the weight ring, like he was throwing the shot put."

When Jackson was at Peoria’s Woodruff High School, a typical track season would see her qualify for the Class AA state meet, but "finish 10th or something," just out of the running for All-State honors. Certainly, though, her talent could have led her to a larger school, including Illinois State University and Eastern Illinois University, which both showed interest.

"At first, that’s what I wanted to do, but I got to know the people at Monmouth, and that’s why I came here. I’ve been able to build friendships with other students, the faculty and the administration, and I don’t think I would have been able to do that as much at a larger school."

"She visited at the same time of the year where we’re at now, in between the conference meet and nationals," said Haynes. "We had Christy Hickey, Stacy Brown and Heather Furrow here training for nationals, and I think they had a pretty good influence on Constance and her mom."

Jackson, who was initially interested in science, has decided on a business/accounting major, and she was honored last month at Monmouth’s honors convocation with the Dale Whiteman Memorial Prize, which is awarded annually to a student who demonstrates ability in track and accounting.

Prior to her pregnancy, Jackson’s MWC resume included 10 championships, including four individual titles, three of them won at the 1999 indoor meet. When Jackson loses an MWC race, and it hasn’t been often, it’s only been to teammates. Brown beat her three times during the 1998 seasons, Furrow, an All-American, accomplished the feat once and current teammate Jill Hoops edged Jackson by .01 in the 55-meter dash at the 2000 indoor meet.

In her now-completed indoor career, Jackson went a perfect 4-for-4 in MWC 200-meter dashes, so it’s no surprise what race she likes best.

"The 200’s my fun race. It’s my favorite," she said. "That’s probably the only race where I don’t think and don’t use some of the strategies I’ve learned from Coach Haynes. Every week, we run ‘repeat 200s’ in practice, so when I run a 200 in a meet, I know it’s only one 200, and I tell myself I’m not going to get tired."

Jackson said a typical meet begins with warming up for the 4x100 relay, followed by a period where she "worries about starts" before running the 100-meter dash.

"If I have to do a 400, which I seem to have gotten out of this year, that’s the race where no

one should talk to me," she said. Then it’s on to the "fun" 200, before she and her 4x400 teammates "get all quiet" before running the last event of the day.

Does that quiet mean no music through headphones?

"I can’t stand listening to music before I run," said Jackson, going against the grain of many local and national athletes who get pumped up by their favorite rhythms or lyrics.

While Jackson has the number of every MWC sprinter who’s not a Fighting Scot, there’s still one foe out there with a target on her back.

"Rhondale," she said, referring to national champion sprinter Rhondale Jones of Lincoln (Pennsylvania) University the way many folks around here refer to Jackson as simply "Constance."

Jones, a junior, and Jackson are ranked 1-2 nationally in the 200-meter dash, one of five events in which Jackson has qualified for the May 24-26 Division III meet in Decatur, Ill.

"I want first," said Jackson, who explained that even though her 30 MWC titles now rank above the 29 earned by Charles Burton from 1989-92, Burton has something she doesn’t.

"I want to come back a champion from a national meet like Charles did," she said. "I’ve met him a couple times, and he’s my idol."

"The 200 meters is certainly her best race, and I still think the 4x400 group could drop quite a bit of time," said Haynes. "It’s hard to say whether she can get a top national finish this year. The way she ran at the Lee Calhoun Meet in April, she was headed toward dropping her 200 time under 24 seconds, but then she was injured and basically was able to do nothing for three weeks."

Haynes added that no matter how this year’s national meet pans out, Jackson has become an unforgettable part of Monmouth’s rich track history.

"She’s certainly put herself in a very, very elite group in terms of her contributions to the program," he said. "She’s made her share of silent contributions, too, with the way she goes about her business. That’s what sets her apart in my mind. She’s pretty unassuming."

While Jackson’s chased Burton’s legacy, she’s been assisted by another MC track legend, Haynes, who’s coached the Fighting Scots to 21 MWC titles.

"Oh, man, I’ve learned a lot," she said of Haynes’ teaching. "I’ve been running for a long time, but I’ve never had a coach that explains the scientifics and the reasoning that go into each event. He breaks down each segment of the race. We all joke with him that he’s tainted us for watching track meets, because instead of just watching, we’ll be looking at some runner thinking, ‘They need more knee lift,’ and things like that. I’ve learned so much from him."

But Jackson can be a teacher herself, both literally and figuratively. In the literal sense, Jackson, who said she started running around the age of five in Houston, Texas, may wind up in some aspect of coaching after her collegiate career ends next May.

"I think so," she said. "After running for so long, it’s going to be hard to just stop."

If that’s the case, there’s going to be some very fortunate athletes who are sure to run faster because of the technical nuances Jackson will cover. And if they’re the kind of kid who delves a little bit into their coach’s personal life, they’ll hear the story of how Constance Jackson hit a hurdle in her life, cleared it in stride, and came out a champion and a more complete person in the end.

All-American Honors (3) Outdoor 4x100 relay, 1998, 5th place

Outdoor 400-meter dash, 2000, 4th place

Outdoor 4x400 relay, 2000, 5th place

National Indoor Events (7) 400-meter dash (3), long jump (2), 55-meter dash, 4x400

National Outdoor Events (8) 200-meter dash (2), 4x100 (2), 4x400 (2), 100-meter dash, long jump

MWC Championships (30) Four-time winner of indoor 200, 4x200, 4x400

Three-time winner (in three meets) of outdoor 4x100

MC varsity records (10) Outdoor 200-meter dash, 24.35, 2001

Outdoor 4x100 relay, 47.95, 1998

Outdoor 4x200 relay, 1:42.02, 1998

Outdoor 4x400 relay, 3:50.48, 2000

Indoor 55-meter dash, 7.30, 2001

Indoor 200-meter dash, 25.30, 2001

Indoor 300-meter dash, 41.72, 2001

Indoor 4x200 relay, 1:44.05, 2000

Indoor 4x400 relay, 3:58.99, 2001
Indoor sprint medley relay, 4:19.60, 2000

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