Danner-Hicks looks to top the country in the triple jump

By AJ Pascuzzo

Comment Staff

Senior Joshua Danner-Hicks has made a leap in his performance this season as he currently ranks seventh in all of Div. III in the triple jump. Jeremy Foote - Photo.
Senior Joshua Danner-Hicks has made a leap in his performance this season as he currently ranks seventh in all of Div. III in the triple jump. Jeremy Foote – Photo.

Being a college athlete takes a lot of hard work and dedication, let alone being one of the top performers in the nation.

Senior captain Joshua Danner-Hicks is a member of the Bridgewater State University indoor track and field team, and while the Bears have done well this season, individually, Danner-Hicks has blown the competition away.

Danner-Hicks has made a name for himself this season, as he has performed well in the triple jump where he currently ranks seventh in all of Div. III.

“Josh represents everything a coach could ask for in a student-athlete,” said Bridgewater State assistant coach Kevin Coyle. “I am constantly receiving compliments on Josh from coaches, officials, and spectators all across New England for the way he carries himself. He’s the type of athlete that brings life and energy into a competition.”

In high school, Danner-Hicks played football, but a decision to try out track and field has changed his fortunes.

“I had friends who did track and I realized that it would help me get faster, so junior year in high school I began running,” Danner-Hicks said. “I did the triple jump just because our team needed someone to do it.”

Danner-Hicks is having the best season of his career this year, as he has already earned All-New England honors and broke the triple jump school record earlier in the season with a jump of 47 feet, 11.75 inches.

“My goal this year is not just to be an All-American at nationals but to win it,” Danner-Hicks said. “Right now I’m ranked seventh in the country for Division III in the triple jump and I feel good about that, it gets that pressure off me.”

In order to make nationals, only the top 15 ranked athletes are invited so it would take a lot for Danner-Hicks to be bumped out which is possible, but as of now he is paving a smooth path.

This year the biggest win for Danner-Hicks came at the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Championships where he became the first person in MASCAC history to win the indoor triple jump in all four years of his career.

Danner-Hicks said there have been many things that have contributed to his success this year, in order to prove himself as one of the nation’s and school’s best athletes.

“I have great and wonderful teammates and my family is incredibly supportive,” Danner-Hicks said. “Me and my coach are on the same page with every aspect of what needs to be done and God has been incredibly good to me.”

Danner-Hicks has set the bar high each season and doesn’t stop working until he achieves his personal goals.

“This year has just been an absolute blessing,” Danner-Hicks said. “I’ve managed to have a personal best in indoor by almost a whole foot and now that I’ve gotten going, I want to be able to walk away with something.”

Danner-Hicks looks to get one step closer to nationals this weekend when he competes at the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships.

AJ Pascuzzo is a Comment sports writer. Email him at apascuzzo@student.bridgew.edu.

+ posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related

Student-Athlete Profile: Joey Molis

Bridgewater State baseball just started their 2023 season with a spring break trip at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with a 5-2 record. One of the team captains for the last two years is Senior First Baseman Joey Molis (he/him). Molis is a Math major with a concentration in statistics.   Molis […]

Patriots Making Moves in Free Agency

The New England Patriots will have some new arrivals and departures in the fast-approaching future as the first week of the new league year comes to a close. As we begin the 2023 NFL season, teams from all around the league were busy with everything from free agent signings to releases, with an awful lot […]

Bruins Goaltender Linus Ullmark (he/him) celebrating with his teammates on the bench after scoring a goal on 2/25 @ the Vancouver Canucks ((Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images/Courtesy of Fox News)

Trade Deadline Bolsters Boston Bruins Dominance

With just a handful of games left to play in the NHL season, the Boston Bruins have defied all doubts and continued their tear on the league. Headed into the All Star Break in February, the Bruins were starting to look rather ordinary. While still being on a record breaking trajectory, they had lost three […]

Winter Sports Wrap Up

Our very own Bridgewater State Bears sports teams have seen quite a lot of success this winter sports season. Many of our men’s and women’s teams made it to their conference finals, or NCAA tournaments, and have even brought back titles. Here’s a breakdown on the season’s winners: Swimming and Diving: The Men’s Swimming and […]