CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Imagine starting your first week of college stressing about syllabus week and who you are going to sit next to in class, only to be interrupted by a trip to Lima, Peru, with the chance to compete against the world’s top athletes. This was reality for Virginia first-years James Ford, Suzie Kennelly, and Maya Rollins who had the opportunity to represent their home countries at the U20 Track & Field Championships back in August.
“I’m sitting in the back room, and they’re about to bring us out [onto the track],” said hurdler Maya Rollins. “And I look down and it’s not my normal high school uniform anymore, it’s not Virginia’s that I’m about to start wearing, it’s a country. Okay, wow, there’s a whole bunch of people that don’t even know me. They know my last name because of my dad, but they don’t know me at all, and they’re rooting for me…so I have to go and do well.”
Rollins launched onto the international track scene earlier in the summer, winning the 100-meter hurdles at the U20 Barbados National Championship to earn her spot at the U20 World Championships. The world stage brought out her best as she advanced to the semi-finals where she recorded a personal best time of 13.71 seconds. Rollins was one of five Barbadian athletes participating in the competition.
𝙎𝙀𝙀 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝙄𝙉 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝙀𝙈𝙄𝙎 😎
With a new PB of 13.71, Maya Rollins qualifies (q) for the semifinal of the women’s 100m hurdles at the U20 Championships!#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/POpJEHpgAX
— Virginia Track & Field and Cross Country (@UVATFCC) August 29, 2024
“And then I come [to Virginia], and you have Sarah [Akpan], who’s just missed the Olympics, and they have [Alex Sherman], who was recently in the Olympic trials… all these people, they’re working for it, so I know I can work for it too.” Rollins said. “I know the system is already right here for me.”
The proof is in the pudding, that same system that worked for Alex Sherman and others, a system that Lananna and the coaching staff have cultivated at Virginia was a major draw for James Ford. It’s a system that wins NCAA Championships, as shown by Shane Cohen’s win in the 800-meters last spring, the same event that Ford competes in. The history of competitive athletics, academic excellence, and the diverse student body at Virginia were several big draws for Ford, in addition to the strong ACC and NCAA…