Well this first blog will introduce me to you all. It will tell you all about my track career starting in high school until now. My name is Antione Drakeford I am a redshirt sophomore at the University of Cincinnati. I run the 400, 200, 4x1, and 4x4.
In high school I was a two-sport athlete not the typical football track person but the track/basketball person. My first year I played for Columbus south located in Columbus Ohio. I went out for the track team after basketball because the coach was the same coach. So I walk into practice thinking that I was just going to run and that will be it. Nevertheless, no the coach took us to the weight room. I was like ummm weights. I think not! Therefore, I walked out and never returned! I know stubborn and not dedicated. The following year we moved (my family moved a lot during high school). The following year I did not run track at all, I just focused on basketball and school. The next year I transferred to Columbus Africentric. The school had just started a varsity basketball team and they needed players so I decided to go. I made the team and we ended up making it to regional is that year. I decided to try track my junior year. I ran in one meet that year because I stepped on a pile of glass. I know crazy! However, I could have run that year but I really did not want to (again not really a dedicated person). So it is my senior year and I am playing basketball we win out city title, and state that year it was crazy! But OSHAA took away the title because they said we had an ineligible player (there was a paperwork mishap I think it was bull lol). So, its track season and I decide to run (great decision). The coach ran track for Penn St (Damon Reed) the 100 and the 200. So, I am winning all the races in the city, running 50 points and maybe a 49 here and there. I am getting a little recognition locally but nothing to serious; of course, those are far from blazing times ha-ha. I end up winning the city title in the 400 on my 18th birthday weekend so that was nice. I am getting ready for districts and everything and I tell my coach I want to set the state record in the 400 for division 3which was 47 something. I set the regional record with a 48 high and win regionals and I am the favorite going into state. All is well right! NO I make it to state finals and I CHOKE!!! I was the favorite and I got 4th. BIG disappointment. As for college, I received no offers, no calls, no letters, nothing. So I told my coach to call the colleges I got into, tell them my marks, and see if I can get a scholarship or something. So, he called OSU, Xavier, and Cincy. OSU acted as if they did not care. Xavier never called back, and Cincy said ok we can check him out and we can go from there. So they send a coach to regional’s to see me run and she said good job and we talked for a lil bit. I saw an OSU coach at that meet and he just walked by and said good job. Well, after state I thought I would not get any offers or anything but Cincy offered a partial scholarship and I gladly accepted. My high school pr’s are 48.67 400-meter dash and 22.3 200-meter dash.
Heading into college, I had good 400 runners ahead of me. Bob kandell, Lonnie Erving, Cedric Powell, and Jerod Batt. These people were not national caliber athletes but they were extremely talented and worked hard. So it is the first meet of the season and everyone is counting out the freshman but I win the meet in 47.78 and shock the world! Ha-ha but it was unexpected. That year, that was my fastest time and I was the 1st leg of the second place 4x4 team in the Big East Conference and the second fastest 4x4 team in school history. We went 3:10.
The following year I was expecting big things, but partying and not taking school serious started to ruin everything. I was majoring in Information Technology coming in and I was failing miserably! I got a 2.4, then a 1.9 then a 1.8. I was then ineligible going into the next year. But it got worse. I was now on academic probation and about to lose all my aid. One good thing did happen though! I met Amanda Palmer (now my fiancée!) However, things got worse and worse. I was one quarter from being completely out of school, off the team and back in Columbus working at Wal-mart or something. My coach Chris Wineberg (yes the husband of Mary Wineberg Olympic Gold Medalist) said to me, “I DON’T THINK YOU’LL MAKE IT I’VE SEEN TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS SITUATION AND THEY DO NOT MAKE”. I told him I would be back watch! So I change my major to Mechanical Engineering Technology and with the help of my fiancée, I get refocused back on school and started to improve my grade drastically. I was at the point were I had lost financial aid, my scholarship, on academic probation and soon to be back home in Columbus. The first quarter of that school year I got a 3.3, the following quarter I got a 3.5. So my grades are good now and I have to get my aid back. It took me all of winter break to get back into College and my aid. Once I had all of that I was ready to be back on the team. But little did I know my coach had to fight tooth and nail to get me back on the team again I had lost my scholarship and my spot on the team. So everything is all good Im back on the team and ready to run. I had realized that I was taken everything for granted and not really realizing the situation God put me in. So the season starts and I am ready to go. The first meet back I run a 47.37 and I had never looked smoother ever in college (my coaches said). I win the meet in the 400 and its time for the 4x4. Im nervous because I was never an anchor and we were behind by 30 meters (OSU was leading). So I grab the baton and I take off. My coach told me I took off and never slowed down. They said that they thought I was going to die but I didn’t! So, Im running and next thing you know I hawk down the guy from OSU and the meet went nuts (I split a 46.4)! I have never felt anything like that at all! The feeling of winning a race for your team when you’re your down by 30 meters is unexplainable. So that year I pull the same thing a few more times that year. So its time for Sea Ray Relays! Im in like the 4th heat coming off running a 46 something and I wanted to move p. So I talk to the guy and he said I can put you in the 1st heat. I was like WORD! But I was nervous because it was a pretty big meet and I was just some guy from little known Cincinnati. But to my surprise I won the heat with a 46.5 and a crazy head wind. I thought I had the meet won until Miles Smith (I took his spot in the 1st heat because he checked in late) went 45.8 in the final heat killing my teammate Chase “Agent 3” Vancura lol I hope you see that Chase. So I get second at sea ray relays and I was pretty excited about that. But then it was time for 4x4! Well you know how this is gonna go. Were behind again and I cant remember the team but they were beating us and I get the baton. I take off again and Im closing in on the guy but were battling on the home stretch with me trying to catch the whole time. Then finally I pass him right at the end and again all my teammates go nuts! Ima fast forward to All-Ohio. At this meet, it was my second time running a 200 in college ever! My previous mark was 21.65. I was in the second heat and we were down by 8 points. I told my teammate Dayo Igeleke you win this heat and Ill do what I can. So he wins the heat in close fashion and Im pumped. The crowd is going crazy and my teammates are cheering and everything. So I’m getting in the blocks and I tell myself get out and win this heat. I get out and Im feeling good. I realize I don’t here anybody behind me so I pick it up more because I think someone is so lcose I don’t here them haha. I cross the finish and no was close! I ran a 21.13 winning the meet overall. I go nuts! I start flexing and yelling give high fives to teammates. It was CRAZY!!!! I won the 400 as well in 46.5. The 4x4 was a sad one. My teammate Troy Lammers popped it off but pulled his hamstring 110 meters into the race. It was sad to see one of our leaders go down like that definitely a guy who is a strong contributor to our team. Next, it was Penn Relays. 4x1 was fun we ran our fastest time of the season but we lost to Texas A&M, Tennessee, and some other really good 4x1 teams. 4x4 was pretty crazy as well. Were in the mix with our third leg running a 47.9 split (Chase “Agent 3” Vancura). So he’s running to me I grab the baton and some guy falls in front of me! I jump over him and as Im over him he gets up and knocks me to the ground. I hit the track and roll like 7 meters down the track. I get up and I take off sprinting. I pass three guys and Im closing in on the big group of teams but I was so far behind that I couldn’t catch them. I split a 48 something with a barrel roll. The next meet was conference.
There the team saw Ironman and that increased the intensity level big time! Prelims were fine I ran a 46.5 and it was the smoothest I had ever ran! The races can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/user/UCdrakefam. I make the finals in the 200 but I barely won my heat lol. So the final day is here and 4x1 is the first race. That set the tone for the meet! We won in close fashion with shakey handoffs thru the first three legs. You can notice that in the video. The next race was the 400. I get in the blocks and the gun goes off. I got out but not as hard as I did in prelims. I start to turn it on the home stretch and I catch Elvis Lewis (defend conference champ) and Greg Gomes two great competitors. As were going down the home stretch I start to tie up because I want to win my first conference title and its close and I don’t want to lose. I hold off Elvis Lewis and win my first individual conference title! Man it was unbelievable. Next was the 200. I had very little gas left and finished 7th we finished 5th overall in the 4x4. As a team we finished 4th and we are looking to improve that this year “ONE TEAM ONE GOAL” (I’ll explain late). Then came the announcing of team winners and athletes of the meet. Before the prelims I started to wonder if I could actually win male track athlete of the meet. My coaches nominated me and it was left for the other coaches to vote. They announced team champions for the men’s and women’s teams. Next, it was time. Im on the phone with my mom and I hear it the Male Track Athlete of Meet….ANTIONE DRAKEFORD! I started yelling and I told my mom I just won the award she started screaming and I hung up the phone. I walked down and I was truly shocked. I almost started crying. Again, I was almost out of college, I was off the team, and I couldn’t pay for school and here I am winning conference titles and then male track athlete of the meet. I CAN ONLY THANK GOD FOR PUTTING IN THIS SITUATION AND TAKING THRU WHAT I WENT THRU. I thank my amazing fiancée for staying with me when it seemed like nothing was ever gonna get good. Then it was regional’s. So, I’m in the blocks and ready to go. I get out and I feel good but I relax too much on the back stretch but I pick it up the next hundred and I finish strong. Coming in secong behind Miles Smith. I went 46.05 a p.r. Nice right! Ready for finals with the second fastest time. BUT, I got dq’ed. They said I stepped on the line going into the home stretch. It was an hour before any of us found out, I heard from a friend back in Cincy that online it said I got dq’ed. We protest it but it couldn’t be overturned. My shot at going to nationals was over. It was sad. I mean it felt like all that I worked for was gone.
Ill stop here. I will finish the story in a week or so. Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to do so. God bless!
Twan