Transfer hurdles through successful first year at UTEP

In head coach Mika Laaksonen's first year last season, it was his relay team and throwers that sent some UTEP athletes to the NCAA Championships. But after sophomore hurdler/sprinter and Clemson transfer Janice Jackson entered prior to the current indoor track and field season, he may have found a way to send an athlete in all facets of track and field to the NCAAs.

"I like what she's done. She's a very good competitor," Laaksonen said. "She takes care of her business very well."

Jackson came to UTEP because of former assistant coach Kebba Tolbert, who was an acquaintance of her high school coach. Tolbert left to coach the hurdles at Harvard last year but Jackson still stayed as a Miner and has been making strides since.

"(My high school coach) knew (Tolbert) for about 20 years, and thought he was a good guy and good hurdles coach," Jackson said.

In high school, Jackson was a two-time All American in the 60-meter hurdles. She competed in the National Scholastic meet and was named a Nike Outdoor All-American in 2009 for the 100-meter hurdles. During her freshman year at Clemson, she posted 15 top-10 finishes and competed in meets such as the Virginia Tech Elite Meet and the Texas Relays.

Jackson has adjusted well to her new surroundings. She has competed in all four indoor meets this year, with her event being the 60-meter hurdles. Her season began when she placed third in UTEP's Jan. 14 Blue and Orange Invitational. In the following events, Jan. 21 at the Cherry and Silver in Albuquerque and Feb. 3-4 at the Frank Sevigne Husker in Nebraska, she won silver and gold, respectively. In the team's most recent outing Feb. 11 at the Texas A&M Invitational, she placed third.

This year, Jackson has bested her preliminary times during competition in every single meet except for one.

"Janice is a joy to work with and she's a very talented young hurdler," assistant coach Scott Roberts said. "She's made real good strides all the way through the season and her times have come down. She ran really well at Texas A&M. She's ranked third in the conference. She beat the runner from Houston who's ranked second at the A&M meet. We're thinking we're going to get great things out of Janice at conference."

Being a transfer from the ACC, eyes of spectators, coaches and runners alike have been on Jackson, wondering how she'll stack up in C-USA. She's well aware of that.

"I definitely think I will surprise people during the conference meet," Jackson said. "I'm looking forward to run a good time because I know some people are watching me because I transferred from Clemson. They might ask what I was thinking leaving a school that has such a great program in track. I try not to think about that kind of stuff. I just want to think about me and my race, my lane and my tunnel vision, and I'll be alright."

But Jackson is not so worried as to what others think of her individual performances when it comes to big stages.

"I tell myself it's not a big meet," Jackson said. "That might sound funny but for me, who has a history of choking at big meets especially when I was in high school, my mentality is to do what coach Roberts tells me and I'll be alright."

The Miners schedule will head to the C-USA Indoor Championships Feb. 25-26, hosted by UAB.

Rusty Burns and Daniel Ornelas may be reached at prospector@utep.edu.