Kent State of Mind: Dejon Manning - Getting It Right
5/20/2024 12:11:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
At first, I never thought of track as a sport that kids join.
I was always more interested in the traditional sports like football, basketball, and baseball.
But in 8th grade, in the first game of the football season, first play of the game, I suffered a clean break on my left wrist! This obviously took me out of those sports for the time being.
When my wrist healed in the spring, my mom, who always wanted me to stay busy with sports, told me, “Alright, now you’re here, you still have to go do something!”
The only sport still available to join was track and field.
And so I did — on the last possible day.
The day I joined was the city-wide scrimmage and since the middle school did not have a team, I had to run with the 9th graders. No experience, no track shoes, no jersey, nothing but me in my basketball shoes, baggy shorts, and an old t-shirt.
The coach just decided to throw me in the 100m dash to see what happens.
I had no idea what to expect.
I ran as fast as I possibly could, and to my surprise, I ended up beating everybody! The freshman, the upperclassmen, all of them!
I stuck with track that season since I was good, but I was not quite hooked on the sport yet.
I still wanted to play football and basketball.
The next year, my good friend Tony convinced me to meet with the high school track coach and keep with the sport. The coach told me that I was not fast enough to be on the varsity sprint team and my only way to be varsity was to do hurdles.
That’s where my competitiveness kicked in.
I thought to myself, “Oh, you don’t think I can do it?
Well then, I’m going to do it and do it 10 times better!” (I also hated hurdles!)
Along with that, I knew that I would be able to race against some of the fastest athletes around. My competitiveness made me want to beat them every chance I could, whether it was sprints or even hurdles!
Candidly, this is what really made me lock in on track as my sport.
A New Goal
At this point, I knew that I only wanted to do track, no more football or basketball. I started training and competing year-round, during the summer club season, the fall season, and spring season.
My junior year of high school was when things changed.
I made my way through regionals and districts to qualify for Nationals.
And at Nationals, I really got to show off my sprinting.
I did well enough in my 400m hurdles event that my coach let me finally run in the 200m sprint, just for fun.
And in that event, I became an All-American.
After that, my coach told me that he was getting calls from colleges across the country interested in recruiting me.
Going to college is not very common where I am from, so this was very eye-opening for me.
Luckily, I signed with Kent State before COVID shut down everything.
I couldn’t wait to join the team and start competing at the collegiate level.
But little did I know, my journey was about to hit a few speed bumps along the way.
A Rough Start
My freshman year at Kent State was a bit of a challenge.
Between online classes, COVID protocols, and the general adjustment to college life, it was a lot to take in.
Through all of it, I lost sight of my academic responsibilities a bit and focused mostly on athletics.
Because of that, at the start of my sophomore year, my coach told me that I needed to pass every single class this semester, or else I will not be eligible for the upcoming season in the spring.
I had 18 credits that semester.
I worked hard and thought I did everything to ensure my eligibility.
But unfortunately, I was one class short.
Truthfully, it was a difficult time communicating this to all of my teammates.
It was especially difficult watching my teammates win the Outdoor MAC Championship right here at home in front of our fans and community.
I was happy for them, of course, but it was tough to feel like I was missing out on such a monumental moment for the team.
This setback was a wake-up call for me, and it motivated me to reevaluate my priorities and make some changes.
I worked closely with my academic advisor to get back on track, and I focused on my studies like never before to ensure I would not have to go through something like this ever again.
I took summer classes and did everything I could to improve my GPA and return to the team for my junior season.
And I’m happy to say that all of my hard work paid off.
I was able to get my grades back on track and rejoin the team for my junior season.
And it felt incredible to be back.
Leading By Example
Now that I’m a senior, I see myself as a leader for the younger athletes.
With such a young team, I try to lead by example and show them what it means to be a student-athlete, especially the “student” part.
I share my story and my struggles in the hopes that they can learn from my mistakes and avoid making the same ones themselves.
I try to be a friend and mentor to my teammates, and I do everything I can to support and encourage them.
I’m grateful that they have been so supportive of me throughout my journey as well.
We have a strong bond and a shared goal of being the best team we can be, and I’m proud to be a part of such an amazing group of athletes.
This past season, we accomplished something truly special by winning the Indoor MAC Championship, too, the first one for Kent State since 2009.
It was a historic moment for our team, and it was incredible to see all our hard work pay off.
We weren’t the favorites to win, but we proved everyone wrong with our determination and grit.
And I know that we have an incredibly bright future ahead of us, too.
I’m thrilled to be back on the track with my teammates and to continue representing Kent State to the best of my ability for the rest of my senior season.
And although we weren’t able to win the outdoor conference title, I was fortunate to win gold with my teammates Jaheim, Logan, and Sean in the 4x100-meter relay .
Now, on to some more postseason competition at the NCAA East Preliminary for Kent State.
For more Kent State of Mind narratives, click here.
