Wichita South sprinter chases Kansas high school state track glory for grandmother
Serenity Jackson still thinks about the last conversation she had with her grandmother before she passed last summer, just weeks after the Kansas high school state track and field meet.
“I told her I was going to make her proud,” Jackson said. “So every time I step on the track, everything I do, I do for her.”
The Wichita South sprinter has kept her word, putting on a show throughout her senior season that would have most certainly entertained her grandmother.
After being good enough to make the finals in the 100- and 200-meter races last year but not contend for gold, Jackson has elevated herself as one of the fastest and most well-rounded sprinters in the state.
Jackson has broken the school record at South in all three of the sprints, including two that have been standing since 1977. She became a three-time City League champion earlier this month by winning the 100-, 200- and 400-meter races and has qualified for Friday’s Class 6A state meet in all three races.
She enters a championship contender in all three with her season-best times ranking third in the 100 (11.96), second in the 200 (24.61) and second in the 400 (57.65).
“She is setting up to be the best sprinter to ever come through South High,” South coach Alex Hutchins said. “You know whenever she laces up and steps on the track, she’s going to give it her all. You never have to wonder about that. She brings it every single day and that mindset is going to put herself in a position to not just medal in all three, but to try to win all of them.”
Deja Jackson, Serenity’s older sister who graduated from South last year, has noticed an increase in Serenity’s work ethic since their grandmother’s passing last summer.
Serenity will arrive early to practices and stay late for additional work. She ran hills in the offseason and practiced on her own at the track. It was all preparation for delivering a memorable senior track season.
“She’s put so much work in and nobody sees it,” Deja Jackson said. “I can’t even put into words how I want because I’m so proud of her, she doesn’t even know. I know she’s doing everything right now for our grandma. We really miss her, but I know she would be so proud of (Serenity) right now.”
At the City League meet, Deja followed Serenity everywhere between races, serving as a one-person hype machine. Before races, she focused on putting Serenity in the right head space for the competition and after she won the gold, Deja was the loudest spectator each time cheering on her younger sister like she had just won the race.
In fact, there was no denying Deja was more excited for Serenity’s success than Serenity, who is more even-keeled.
“I have to be her hype person,” Deja said, laughing. “I make sure she’s good and try to motivate her through the meet to keep going. We’ve got records to break. We’re going to keep going, no matter what.”
Most short sprinters resent the 400 race because of the distance, but Serenity practically begged her coach to allow her to run it earlier this season.
Sure enough, in her first 400 race, she broke the school record. In her second, she ran the fourth-fastest time in the state of Kansas this season.
“Normally, especially with kids at the 6A level, you see the sprinters specialize in just two events,” Hutchins said. “They don’t want to go up to the 400, but Serenity wanted that challenge. She’s just extremely strong and very fast-twitch and in the 400, she’s an extremely smart runner. She knows she doesn’t have to burn through the first 200 to win. She runs a very smart race and takes over when she needs to take over.”
Even though she has the strong start, foot speed and kick to excel in the shorter sprints, Serenity has taken a liking to the 400.
“I didn’t really know if I would be good at it, but you have to try new things to see what works for you,” Serenity said. “I just keep pushing and when I hit that 250 mark that’s when I go all in and dig down and find that fight in me.”
During this week of practice for the preliminaries on Friday at Cessna Stadium, Serenity has kept her grandmother in her constant thoughts. She misses her grandmother’s cooking and the trips to Topeka to see her in the summer.
But she also finds strength in knowing her performances this season would have been exactly what her grandmother would have wanted to see.
“I know she would be proud of me right and she would love seeing all of this,” Serenity said. “She would just tell me to keep going and never give up, so that’s what I’m going to do and whatever happens at state, I’m going to be proud.”
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