FAYETTEVILE, Ark. – Little Rock sprinter
Cameron Jackson announced Wednesday that he is withdrawing from the NCAA West Preliminary Championships, just hours before he was scheduled to make his first career NCAA postseason appearance.
A nagging injury, sustained at the tail end of a memorable Sun Belt Conference Championship meet where he won three gold medals, claimed the Top Meet Scorer title and was eventually voted the league's Most Outstanding Track Performer, has refused to go away and countless hours spent in rehab since then has left Jackson with the choice of running injured and potentially exacerbating that injury or withdrawing.
Only a sophomore, Jackson is choosing the latter.
"Three gold medals. I knew I could but you never really know until you do it," Jackson explained in a post on social media. "But those three medals were won in three races in less than two hours. To do that is a challenging amount of physical stress on the body, one that affected me in that final 200m race and I've been working hard to come back from."
In his post, Jackson announced his intention to return to Little Rock for his junior campaign as the Trojans head to the Ohio Valley Conference next season.
"I have big dreams and I mean to achieve them in a Little Rock uniform," said Jackson. "But not all of those dreams will be realized this year. With great reluctance, I am withdrawing from the NCAA West Prelims due to health reasons and will focus on a full rehabilitation this summer so I can come back next year, in the Maroon & Silver, ready to go and to achieve the next dream. I have more records to break, more races to win and WILL make it to Eugene, even if it isn't this year."
Ryan Curington is expected to run in Jackson's place on the 4x100m relay. Curington opens up Little Rock's action in the NCAA West Prelims Wednesday at 6 p.m. while
Taveion Neal will run in the 100m dash opening round at 7 p.m.
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