Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / May 22, 1986, edition 2 / Page 13
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To be Young By CRAIG T. GREENLEE Special To The Review FOR A LADY who didn't attract much attention in high school and had no intentions of attending college, I Dannette Young is proof positive of what determination can accomplish. Young is a senior at Alabama A&M University and one of the nation's top sprinters in the 100 and 200 in any NCAA division. An all-America since i t - - ner iresnman year, sne rose to prominence so fast that she'd make a good episode for ''Amazing Stories." In her first college season, she ran 11.82 in the 100 and 23.76 in the 200. * Four years later her times are down to 11.12 and 22.85, respectively. What's more, she just missed winning the 200in the nationals as a freshman, finishing second in a photo finish. To get an even clearer picture of what Young has accomplished in her four years, take these facts into account: ^ She's the two-time defending na- ^ tional champion - in the 100/200 for NCAA Division II, setting records for those distances in '84 and again in '85. As a virtual unknown in 1984, she y was a finalist in the 200 meters at the a U.S. Olympic Trials. She has anchored two record-setting relay teams at A&M. In the 4x100, the Lady Bulldogs were the *85 NCAA Division II champions and record- I holders (44.83). She also anchored the 4x200 relay team that set a new record at the Sunkist Florida Relays this year (1:34.2). That time is the fastest in the ? nation this season, and the third-fastest in the world so far: * As of this writing, her 11.12 and H 11.18 times in the 100 are the fastest of 1 any American woman this year. In four years of Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference competition, she never lost a race. Her hand-timed 10.97 in the conference meet this year would have placed her fourth in the men's SIAC 100 finals. Finally, she's been an all-America nine times in the 100/200, the 4x100 and the 4x400 relays. 1 However, perhaps the greatest measure of what Young means to the A&M women's track program is her showing in the '85 Division II nationals. The Lady Bulldogs trailed ' front-running Abilene Christian by 13 J points on the final day of competition. 1 Head Coach Joe Henderson told 1 Young that the team needed to place three runners in the top five of the i 100-meter finals. Leading by example, j Young proceeded to run the second- j ???? = ^ ^ J -* ^ * V*' ^ ?L ^ ^ v % ? ^ 4, ? I, gifted and v ;; < :, L ^ 4' l - ' **''*&$**' A JB I I I . . -fl ^ .... ' liliiii I ^ * n ^*fllMB ,> .^^H9 j fP*9nHHSB Alabama A&M's Dannette Young. Fastest 100 ever in the Division II meet [11.35). Her double-win in the sprints plus a strong last leg on the 4x100 mabled A&M to close the gap to four points and the Lady Bulldogs finished third in the team standings. The 21-year-old business major is juiet and unassuming off the track. But once she sheds her maroon warmups and steps into the starting blocks, t's a different story. Not that she's xash and cocky, but it's very apparent hat she has a confidence on the oval A A ? ? ? ^ A _ _ jiai can i oe snaxen ? no mailer wno she's running against. Before a race, it's not unusual for ler to sit around leisurely, before competing, as if she's a spectator and not a jarticipant. During a race, she's a sight jo behold. Watching Young run is like looking it a finely tuned sprinting computer programmed for fast times and finishes. I . v ?y.y.yy.\ I very fast 01 W iiLf, I I 1 Her running style is effortless - very little visible exertion, smooth stride, arms pumping rhythmically, gears shif Ultg SlllWUU/ . Young admits that she is very surprised with the accomplishments she's had during her four years, saying she never felt she would compete on the level she has. However, Coach Henderson knew he was on to something when he decided to recruit Young as a senior at Ribault High School in Jacksonville, Fla. Henderson remembers her as "that little sway-back running kid" the first time he got a look at her. "But now she's learning more about her running form and being consistent," he uvb. "Tt'c rMllv tyww m mmttmw harrl work and she's really come along." When he first looked at Young, Henderson says, he saw great potential, even though she wasn't exactly one of Jacksonville's premier high ? Black College Sports Review ti your feet school sprinters. He saw certain flaws in Young's running style that needed to be corrected, Henderson says, but he also saw what she could become. "Sometimes you look at a kid and see how they run, how they move about," Henderson says. "You see certain things that will take some work 4 . t a _ ^ ?? f_' i a a to siraignien oui. we saw uanneue was very strong. Of course, her form was ragged, but that's just a matter of coaching. So we felt that, if we could change those things, we would have a very good sprinter and she is that." Young feds that the major reason for her growth as a runner is an inten sified training schedule that forces her to work harder and think more about what she's doing to produce faster times. As for her thoughts on her performances in the '85 nationals, she says they made her more determined 40 achieve loftier goals. "All I could think about was pushing myself more and more so I can make the 1988 U.S. Olympic track team," she says. The rest of the outdoor season will see Ypung steadily chasing her current marks and replacing them with new ones. She's looking to run 11.0 in the 100 and surpass her 22.85 personal best in the 200, all before the nationals, which will be held later this month in Los Angeles. Young says she hasn't had any bad days during her career, and that competing in the nationals is what starfcls out the most. "I really love the nationals,*' she says. "The competition I face there makes me run much better than I do at other meets and I really perform well." Evidently so, say the record books. With a deflnite eye on the '88 Games, Young is currently looking into arrangements with firms that can use her business degree and allow her to train. A possibility exists with AT&T in Atlanta, she says. However, that was still in the discussion stagesat press lime. Young's other post-graduate options :..i tL. vt t/ 1- ? 1 * inwiuuc me new x urn-uasca Aioms Track Club. The Atoms arc wellknown for their women's track program and include two former A&M splinters on their rotter - Grace Jackson (200 meters) and Sharon Moffett (open 400, 400 intermediate hurdles). Young makes no secret that, while her best times recently have come in the 100* the 200 is feer-firtt love. "The 100 is really too short for me because4! have a slow start,9' she says, "but the 200 is just right. It's long enough so tilt I can fftadllflllv SfirrMe* mv awrl m 'J x.w*?w? "/ as I go along.*' Please See Page 15 55555S5S5S53S M?y, 1966-Page 13 I
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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May 22, 1986, edition 2
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