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UA's Carolyn Jackson making a name for herself

In her three and a half years at Arizona, Carolyn Jackson has built quite an impressive resumŽ.

She has the second fastest 400-meter time in UA history and has been an All-American in the 400 in both her sophomore and junior years.

Jackson, though, has loftier goals entering her final season for the Wildcats women's track and field team.

"My goals this year are to be in at least in top three or the national champion," Jackson said.

Since winning the 400 Arizona state title for Salpointe Catholic High School in 1996, Jackson has certainly left her mark on the UA track and field program.

UA track head coach Dave Murray said Jackson is respected for more than just her natural ability.

"She's probably the most respected athlete in terms of character and personality, not just as an athlete but also as a person," he said. "She's one of the best 400 runners we've ever had."

In the span of four years, Jackson has made the journey from being an above average yet lowly recruited high school sprinter to one now vying for the national championship.

Fred Harvey, Jackson's sprinting coach, describes her UA career as "one of the great stories of any sport."

Jackson's trek began in Tucson at Salpointe. Mike Urbanski, her high school coach, is not shocked that Jackson has reached such heights.

"I'm not surprised because of her character, she was never afraid of a challenge," Urbanski said.

Jackson broke her leg during her sophomore season at Salpointe, yet rebounded to win the state title two years later with a 400 time of 56.21 seconds, a time not considered to be in the upper echelon for high school runners.

The UA coaching staff, however, saw potential in the young runner and Jackson decided to stay in town and attend UA.

During the next three and a half years, the UA staff took a talented runner and molded her into one of the nation's elite. A very instrumental piece in helping Jackson become an All-American was Harvey.

"When Carolyn finished high school she was a very good state athlete, but not in the top 10 (nationally) in the 400," Harvey said.

It was then that Jackson started her career at the UA.

In her first season, Jackson immediately came out and made her mark, establishing herself early on as one of the elite runners in the conference.

She accomplished this feat by finishing fifth in the Pac-10 Championships. Jackson completed her first season with a bit of payback, as she bested the top recruits in the nation by finishing as the No. 1 freshman in the 400.

Jackson attributes her development as an intense competitor to Harvey and the rest of the UA coaching staff.

"He's just a great coach," said Jackson. "The type that gives you choices and makes you decide to be good."

It was during her sophomore year that Jackson would burst on the national scene.

After taking second place in the Pac-10 Championships in the 400, Jackson went on to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA National Outdoor Championship, garnering her first All-American honor.

In doing so, she catapulted herself into the upper echelon of 400 runners and went on to compete in the USA Championships, making it to the semifinals.

In Jackson's junior year, she once again earned All-American honors and continued to be a top runner in the 400, thus reinforcing her status as a championship runner.

"The most remarkable thing is that (Jackson) never fails at a championship meet," Harvey said.

Teammate and fellow senior Nicole Thomas depicts Jackson as a fierce competitor who always gives 100 percent.

"She's a very hard worker, making improvements every year. I remember last year when she was sick at (NCAA Indoor) nationals and still came away an All-American," said Thomas. "She's the type of person you want in your corner, especially when it comes to championship time."

More importantly to Thomas are the times off the track with Jackson, the times she's been able to get to know her better.

"She's real genuine," Thomas said. "She's really modest about her abilities, being a quiet leader for the team."

Redshirt junior Rori Kelly agrees.

"She's very calm and relaxed in meets, setting an example for the rest of us," Kelly said.

After Jackson ends her stay at Arizona in December, Jackson will begin preparing for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

If she has a good showing at the Olympic trials this summer, Jackson will continue to train for Sydney. Otherwise, she will likely study business marketing in graduate school while training for the 2002 World Championships.

No matter where her endeavors take her, Jackson has already come a long way from that lowly recruited high school athlete.

But, she's not quite ready to end her UA career.

"It's time to be a four-time, five-time (All-American)," said Jackson, referring to the honor that would give her the final piece of the puzzle.