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Sacred Heart University track coach Christian Morrison recruited Bertony Jean-Louis out of Brien McMahon High School to jump. Now a sophomore, Jean-Louis bounds over hurdles in record time, and rarely competes in the long or triple jump for the Pioneers. He set a school record in the 55 meter hurdles during the winter. You can see a video of Jean-Louis race here.
Hes one of a handful of kids who has made a big jump in terms of performances over his first few years here, Morrison said. I dont think we could ask much more out of him. With the spring season left and two more years of eligibility, it seems the sky is the limit for the quickly improving Jean-Louis.
Jean-Louis came upon the hurdles almost by accident. He already excelled at jumps, and during a McMahon track practice he started messing around with the hurdles in his junior year. He improved rapidly, and as a senior won State Open titles during the indoor and outdoor season. He has continued to progress at SHU, despite the lack of an indoor track. The Pioneers practice in a gym where the athletes roll out mats to protect the surface from spikes on their shoes. Those mats are my life during the winter, Jean-Louis said. Im excited to get to the outdoor season.
Jean-Louis signature race came in the IC4A Track and Field Championships earlier this month at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston. He set the school record of 7.49 a week earlier, and then ran 7.44 in the semifinals. He exploded in the final, running 7.34, a precipitous drop in such a short event. He finished second by a hair and nearly qualified for the NCAA national indoor meet.
Jean-Louis has come a long way in a short time, but now competitors will be watching him more closely. That may not be a good thing. I think I perform better when Im the underdog, Jean-Louis said. The hardest thing is when youre expected to win.
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