Before ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ sprinter Jade Brown lined up for the 60-meter final at the Friday Night Axe ’em Open in Flagstaff in early January, she locked eyes with Coach Francesca Green. Green doled out some last-minute advice, and Brown confidently walked back to her block, put her head down and waited for the starting pistol.
It took her just 7.23 seconds to rewrite history, destroying the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ school record from 2002.
A few minutes later, an excited Brown joined her teammate, McKenna Watson, whose 38.03 time in the 300-meter shattered a school record that had stood since 1987.
The wins, in the first indoor race of the season, were a significant breakthrough for the athletes and the perfect birthday present for their coach.
“I saw all the hard work that was leading up to this,†Green said. “I told them this is just the beginning. The door is open — now they just have to keep opening more doors.â€
People are also reading…
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ sprinter McKenna Watson, right, shattered a school record that stood since 1987 with her time of 38.03 seconds in the 300 meters.
Green, a former student-athlete and coach from Washington State University, has been part of the UA community for the last 21 years. But she’s never lost her competitive spirit.
“When it comes to records, I’m equally as competitive as my athletes,†she said. “I’m coming for them all.â€
The wins of sophomore Brown and junior Watson were no accident.
“There is nothing like having an athlete that you can train at a high level,†Green said. “They believe in you. They look you in your eye when you’re talking to them. They listen, and their work ethic is impeccable.â€
Watson, a transfer from New Mexico State, rose to success in her second year at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
“I recruited McKenna from high school, but she chose to go to another school; she was the one that got away,†said Green. “After her first season, she called me, and I told her, I don’t date people twice. You broke up with me.â€
But Green saw Watson’s potential, and soon after, she was ready to “date again.†The reunion paid off when she took down the 38-year-old school record.
McKenna Watson started her second year at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ by smashing a 38-year-old school record on Jan. 10.
“It was a very good start of the season, I’m definitely in a good spot right now,†Watson said. “But there’s more to come.â€
Both Brown and Watson are already eyeing their next target.
“This is just the beginning of what I want to do,†said Brown. “I plan to have my name next to five records on the wall. And for this 60-meter record, I do want to break it again and I will.â€
“I want them to accomplish something they never thought they could do,†Green said. “I want them to be multiple All-Americans. What I try to instill in them daily is the ‘why not you’ mindset.â€
The Flagstaff records have given both athletes confidence going into their next indoor races.
This weekend, Brown and Watson will compete at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic in Albuquerque.
“I know that I’m going to put in work and continue to do what I need to do, and Coach Green is always going to be right there to help me and guide me,†Brown said. “So why not be confident when I have all the things that I need right now?
Jade Brown destroyed a UA school record at the Friday Night Axe ’em Open in Flagstaff on Jan. 10.
As for Green, she is as hungry for more, as are her athletes.
“The seeds are planted. I guess I’m just not satisfied in thinking that the harvest is here,†she said.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Sonoran ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is a news service of the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ School of Journalism.
