UCAFANS.COM | GO UCA BEARS!

Excellent story in the Texarkana Gazette on a Genoa Central athlete headed to UCA. Welcome to Trey as a Bear and wishing good fortune in the Meet of Champs this week in Russellville.

We have had some great track athletes from small schools over the years.....such as Scott, Elaine, Forrest City to name but a few....we missed a great GC miler in the late 60s who went on to run a 4:05 mile or so at an AIC competitor....glad we got a 6"8 jumper ...good place to start college level work....we have had some excellent jumpers over the years including a college teammate friend who won a couple AIC jump crowns at about 6"9.....

Eric Moore is UCA record holder at 7' 2.6" indoor and 7' 1 outdoor back in 2016....both very strong marks...those may be in danger of being eclipsed in a couple of years......

Also, he wants to be a coach....UCA is certainly a great place to develop into a coach....



https://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2023/may/06/prep-track-and-field-genoa-centrals-haworth-has/

Prep Track and Field: Genoa Central’s Haworth has won every meet this season
Genoa Central high jumper Trey Haworth has won every meet this season by Rick Thomas | May 6, 2023 at 10:00 p.m.

GENOA, Ark. -- Genoa Central high jumper Trey Haworth has won his speciality at every track and field meet he's entered this year, including an impressive victory in this week's Class 3A state meet at Prescott.

The talented athlete keeps raising the bar and setting records along the way.

It was Haworth's third straight year to win the 3A state meet high jump. He also broke his own record with a leap of 6-8, eclipsing his old mark of 6-6 set as a sophomore at the state meet in 2021.

But there was something different about this year's state championship. It was the first time this season he's been pushed by a competitor.

"It was pretty exciting," said Dragons track coach Drew Norwood, a former assistant coach at Texas High and Liberty-Eylau before moving to Genoa last year. "That was the first time a rival was competing closely with him. I think Trey got a little nervous, but he responded to the challenge and showed his true spirit and determination.

"And when he broke his own record, he got a little emotional. He had to work a little harder to win this one."

Haworth's chief opponent in the state meet was Gosnell's Bryce White, who cleared 6-5 and then missed three straight attempts at 6-6. That opened the door for Haworth, who clear 6-7 on his first attempt to clinch the title. He then soared over the bar at 6-8 on his third and final attempt, breaking his own record. He failed on three tries at his personal best of 6-9.

"I started to get a little concerned when the Gosnell guy was pretty much staying up with me," said Haworth, a 6-foot-3, 165-pound senior who has already signed a track scholarship to the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) in Conway, Arkansas. "Most of the meets I've competed in this year, I've pretty much just went out there, did my thing, and won the high jump gold medal.

"I don't want to sound like I'm bragging because I'm basically a humble guy. I did get a little nervous at state, but I just refocused all my thoughts on doing my job, and that's what I did."

Coach Norwood said getting stiffer competition might help Haworth, especially in the Meet of Champs on Wednesday in Russellville, Arkansas.

"Hopefully, he'll get used to being pushed because he's pretty much dominated his competition this year," Norwood said. "I think he realized what he's capable of doing and used that confidence to pull out the win."

The Meet of Champs brings all the state winners by class into one season-ending event. This will be Haworth's third straight trip to the prestigious event, and he placed third in last year's meet, which was won by Class 6A Fayetteville sophomore Cooper Williams, who's now a junior.

Williams won the Meet of Champs with a 6-7 leap in 2022 and Haworth cleared 6-5 for third. Haworth's personal best is 6-9, which he cleared this year at Mineral Springs, Arkansas, and Williams' PB is 6-11 1/2, but that was an indoor meet. Williams managed only a 6-5 leap to win the 6A state meet this year at Fort Smith Southside's outdoor track.

"He's cleared the 6-11 1/2, but he hasn't cleared that height outdoors," said the 18-year-old Haworth. "There's a big difference in clearing a height indoors and clearly one outdoors. They are totally different."

Haworth finished fourth in the Meet of Champs as a sophomore with a 6-4 effort.

In case you're wondering, the Meet of Champs all-time high jump record is 7-1 1/2 set by Pine Bluff's Kenny Evans in 1996, a record that has stood for 27 years.

The college record is 7-8 by Hollis Conway of Louisiana-Lafayette set in 1989.

And who is the world's highest jumper?

Javier Sotomayor of Cuba is the world record holder with a jump of 8-0 1⁄4 in 1993 -- the longest-standing record in the history of the men's high jump.

Fundamentals are important in the high jump. Competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat for landing.

The high jump comprises four phases: approach, take off, flight and landing.

"I've been high jumping for four years on the varsity team," Haworth said. "The physical part is important, but the mental part is important, too."

The high jump isn't Haworth's only track and field event.

"I've also competed in all three jumps (high, long and triple) and I've run on several relay teams, including the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400. I did whatever the coaches asked me to do," he said.

Haworth has been with coach Norwood the last two seasons, but he's been mentored in the high jump by coach Brian Gregory about six or seven years.

"I've been coached by coach Gregory since about the seventh grade," Haworth said. "We've pretty much been through it all before."

Haworth athleticism allows him to compete in several other sports.

"Basketball has been my favorite sports for a long time," said Haworth, who can slam dunk easily off his 6-3 thin frame. "I mainly played shooting guard or small forward and I averaged about 12 to 14 points a game. I've even considered trying to walk-on at UCA, but I'm not sure.

"Right now my main focus is on the high jump in track."

"Trey loves basketball," said Tiffany Thompson, his mother. "He's very passionate about anything he does. He has put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into everything he has accomplished.

"Trey has trained hard for the past four years to be where he is at now. He is going to UCA to be a coach. That's what he wants to do once he graduates, to become a coach."

Coach Norwood says he believes that UCA "will be a great school for Haworth. They've got a very nice athletic program up there and they'll help mold him into a great coach. He's worked extremely hard to get where he is today and all that hard work is starting to pay off."

Coaches have tried to use sports as motivational tools that athletes can use to build their confidence, remain focused, and push their limits when all odds seem to be against them. Coaches want to move the athlete's spirit, instill a sense of determination, and create a feeling of camaraderie and excitement among team members.

"I'd love to be a coach one day," Haworth said. "That's my goal, my dream."

Haworth admits he had a better overall season as a sophomore than he did last year as a junior. There were some good times mixed with some tougher down times.

"I guess I let my nerves bother me some and my mental game wasn't where it needed to be," he said. "But I've been taking a more positive approach this year and it's working for me."

Haworth is a religious person who credits the "Man Upstairs" with giving him the talent, opportunity and blessing to became the young man he is today.

"I've been so blessed by Him that I give credit to Him every time I do something successful," he said. "If you follow His words, you'll come out where you're supposed to be."

Coach Norwood said he foresees Haworth on the awards podium accepting a medal at the Meet of Champs.

"He's certainly capable of winning the overall state championship," he said. "If he wins that, he'll be undefeated in the high jump for the entire season, which would be an amazing accomplishment."