The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/699450
JULY 2016 ■ 121 BY MATT CARTER A lexis Perry arrived in Eugene, Ore., for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships surprisingly calmer than she ex- pected. She felt confident in her preparation, and her experience last year at the event gave her a feel for the layout. It was June 9, a crucial day for Perry. She had already advanced to the semifinals of the 100-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 12.90 seconds earlier in the meet, finishing second in that prelim heat. Now she was set to run one more time in an attempt to make the finals and earn first-team All- American honors. "If I just run, execute my race, I'd make it to the finals," she told herself. About 12.96 seconds later and a second- place finish in her heat, the mission was accomplished. "Once I did that it took a weight off my shoulders," Perry acknowledged. "It actually helped going into the long jump." Even after Perry fouled on her first long jump attempt, she remained confident. The school-record holder in the event made cer- tain not to let the foul affect her, and on her next leap she went 20-8.50, a mark that went all the way to fourth and held there for the rest of the competition. At that moment, Perry had made NC State athletics history: she was the first ever first- team All-American in both the 100-meter hurdles and long jump at the school. She would not have minded one more place in history: the fastest hurdler ever at State. She finished fifth in the finals with a personal- best time of 12.87 seconds, but that remained 0.06 seconds off Ebony Foster's record set in 2004. Her mother, who was in attendance, broke the news to her daughter about her actual historic accomplishment. "I thought it was pretty cool," Perry said. "I had been trying to make a name for myself somehow. I was really trying to go for the re- cord for hurdles, so I figured making history in another way wasn't as bad." The conclusion of nationals was emotional for Perry. She knew her collegiate career was over. There would be no more preparations for another season at NC State. "I was happy overall about the meet, but definitely sad that chapter of my life had come to an end," Perry said. While she may no longer compete for NC State, she will not be forgotten. Her his- tory-making feat earned her the honor of The Wolfpacker Female Athlete of the Year, the first of what Perry hopes will be multiple remembrances reflecting on her career. "It would be great to either have my pic- ture on the track wall or even in the Hall of Fame — that would be even better," Perry admitted. "As long as somebody remembers what I did during my time here that would be enough for me." Perry's journey to NC State started when she was a student at Durham (N.C.) Jor- dan High School. A knee injury led to her parents and her deciding to focus on track full-time. Her father, Kenny, a former track athlete and football player at Florida A&M, was the first to instill confidence in Perry that she may have a future in the sport. Further proof came when a friend of hers said she saw a picture of Perry in a local Vype magazine. When Perry tracked down a copy, she dis- covered it was not just a photo, but a full-page picture. "At that point I was like, 'Okay, I am get- ting noticed, so maybe people think I am good,'" Perry recalled. "I should do the same." Her relationship with track assistant coach Chris Coleman, who coaches sprinters, jump- ers and hurdlers for the Pack, led her to sign with NC State. Coleman also gave her key advice that stuck with her. "Don't wait to be good," Coleman said. "When I first got to campus I knew there was such a thing as a national championship, I knew there would be big meets, but I didn't fully understand what that meant," Perry noted. "Once I started going to these bigger meets competing with these elite athletes, I started to understand what he meant. "It wasn't really until about my sophomore year outdoor that I started envisioning these bigger things for me." She won the prestigious Penn Relays long jump that year, an accomplishment that she still ranks her most memorable. That's par- tially because the medal is a gold watch, which she never wore. "Coach Coleman always told me if you win two, you could wear the second one," Perry said. She had big expectations for her senior year after earning first-team All-America honors in the long jump indoor and second- team recognition in the 100-meter hurdles outdoor in 2015. It took time, especially in the long jump, for her to round into form this year though. She had to find patience, a virtue she readily admits she does not possess in abundance. MAKING A NAME FOR HERSELF Senior Track & Field Athlete Alexis Perry Achieved A Wolfpack First In June "It would be great to either have my picture on the track wall or even in the Hall of Fame — that would be even better. As long as somebody remembers what I did during my time here that would be enough for me." ■ Perry Perry became the first NC State athlete to earn first-team outdoor All-America honors in both the 100-meter hurdles and the long jump. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS