JaMeesia Ford Embraces Expectations at Nationals
Keep an eye on JaMeesia Ford at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship this week in Eugene, Oregon, but don’t blink or you might miss her. The South Carolina sophomore won four events last month at the SEC Outdoor Championship and will be competing in those same four after another record-setting year for the Gamecocks.
“Going into nationals, I’m feeling great,” said Ford, who already has three Indoor First Team All-American honors and three Outdoor First Team All-American honors to her credit. “I feel very confident, and I’m excited for this experience again.
“I’m just going out there at practice and working on things I need to fix. There’s a lot of room to fix things; definitely my starts! That’s what practice is for. Practice makes perfect.”
Ford’s collegiate resume is already impressive. She earned the 2025 Commissioner’s Trophy at the SEC Outdoor Championship and qualified for nationals at the NCAA East Regional in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m and 4x400m. Ford ran a wind-aided program record of 11.00 (2.3) in the 100m, before running 22.27 (1.4) in the 200m for her two individual advancements. She was also the anchor leg for both the 4x100m (42.81) and the 4x400m (3:27.56), to help her relay squads earn a spot in the NCAA Championship.
“The 200 is my favorite, and I’ve started to focus more on the 100 this year,” Ford said. “My goal is to get first place in all my events. What’s going through my head is to just execute my race and run.”
“Going into nationals, I feel like we’re more prepared, and we’re 100 times better than we were last year.”
With her name rising in the ranks, Ford knows she will have a target on her back.
“Definitely. The SEC is the hardest conference,” Ford said. “Going to nationals, I’m prepared, and I know what’s coming for me. At indoor nationals, I wasn’t as prepared mentally and physically. That messed me up a little bit. Going into outdoor season, I got more prepared to redeem myself.
“I try not to let distractions and expectations get to me. You can get overwhelmed with all the celebrations and stuff. I’ve been in this environment before, and I’m getting used to it. It is a great feeling to just be in that stadium and see all the fans.”
Ford knows what it’s like to compete for national championships. She was the NCAA Indoor Champion as a freshman in the 200 and 4x400m and competed at last year’s Outdoor Championship in Euguene.
“My teammates and I have come a long way,” Ford said. “Going into nationals, I feel like we’re more prepared, and we’re 100 times better than we were last year. We were such a young team last year, and now we have so much more experience. We’re just ready.”
Standing at the top of the podium at the end of her events would be the culmination of a lot of time and effort.
“It would mean a lot to me to see that all the hard work I put in, even from last year at the Olympic trials, had paid off,” Ford said. “I feel like I deserve it and my teammates as well.
“I want to accomplish a lot of things. I want to maintain being healthy, physically and mentally and just have fun. I’m looking forward to having fun with my teammates and holding up a trophy.”
