ROCKINGHAM — Jakerra Covington, a sophomore on the Richmond Senior High School track and field team, has been named the Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week.
Covington is a multi-event athlete who not only competes in sprints, but is also one of the leading jumpers for the Lady Raiders. She is in her first full season with the team after spending the second half of last spring on the team. Her performance in Saturday’s Pepsi Invitational at Southern Lee High School helped her earn her second career recognition.
Athletic Profile
Age: 16
Birthday: Feb. 13, 2003
Year: Sophomore
Spring Sport: Track and Field
Events: 100 & 200-meter dash, 4×100 & 4×200-meter relay,
High jump and Long Jump
Years on Varsity: 1.5 Years
Height & Weight: 5-6, 141 pounds
Experience: 1.5 Years
“JUMPING OUT” TO THE FACTS WITH JAKERRA COVINGTON
RSHS Academics: Covington is in her second semester of her sophomore year and is an Honors student at Richmond. She’s an A Honor Roll student-athlete who puts in hard work on the track, as well as in the classroom.
This spring, she’s taking English II Honors with Ms. Maeghan Hunter, Advanced Women’s Choir Honors with Ms. Erin McNair, Health Science I Honors with Ms. Elizabeth McDougald, and Biology Honors with Ms. Vivian Hilton.
“Chorus is my favorite class because all my friends are in there,” Covington, who is enrolled in the Chorus cluster, said. “This is my first time having it spring semester, and it’s a lot of fun and we sing up-to-date songs. I like Ms. Mcnair because she knows how to work hard and have fun.”
Covington currently has a 4.3 GPA and is ranked 36th in the class of 2021. She’s a member of the National Beta Club and also participates in the Future Business Leaders of America Club. A three-sport athlete, Covington has played junior varsity volleyball and varsity basketball the past two years.
Future Plans: With a little over two school years until she graduates, Covington hopes to maintain the academic and athletic tracks she’s been on since becoming a high schooler.
In the classroom, she wants to “continue getting all As”, and “be a junior marshal” next June for the class of 2020. Another goal she’d like to achieve is joining the National Honor Society, which is open to students beginning their junior year.
After high school, Covington hopes to pursue a medical degree and focus on oncology. She noted she wants to “help patients dealing with cancer.”
Athlete of the Week Stats: The Richmond girls earned a second-place finish in the Pepsi Invitational last Saturday, the second-straight weekend meet it finished in the No. 2 spot. Both times the Lady Raiders finished behind meet winner Hugh M. Cummings High School.
Covington took first place in the high jump Saturday, out-jumping the field to a clearance of 4’-10”. That was four inches better than senior teammate Taliah Wall, who placed second. Her career best was a 5’-2” clearance at Pinecrest High School earlier this season.
In the long jump, Covington also earned premium points with a second-place tally, leaping out to a mark of 16’-6”, a foot behind Cummings’ Jydia Faucette.
In the 100-meter dash, Covington took fifth place with a time of 13.04 seconds. She also helped the 4×100-meter relay team to a second-place finish, running the second leg, as the Lady Raiders finished in 49.91 seconds.
Jakerra Covington (right) competes in the 100-meter dash late last month.
RAPID FIRE – FAST RESPONSES
1) How does competing in several different events make you better? Do you have a favorite?
“If I don’t do well in one event it pushes me in next one so I can make it up,” Covington said. “If I have a bad race, I’m going to work harder to place whether it’s in a race or jumping.
“I like the high jump the best,” she added. “It’s my first year doing it, and I always wanted to do it because it looked cool. I just turned out to be really good at it.”
2) Do you see any correlation between running track and playing volleyball and basketball? What’s a word to describe yourself as an athlete?
“Track makes me better in my ego because it’s an individual sport,” Covington said. “You either win or lose by yourself, and you’ve got to be able to take your wins and losses.
“I’d say I’m determined when I run,” she continued. “If I’m in the middle of my race and I’m behind, I’m not a quitter. I run harder. If I lose, I’m ready to race again and win.”
3) What are some personal goals you have for yourself this season?
“For high jump, I want to be able to clear 5’-4”,” she concluded. “I also want to go to states as a team and in individual events. I think I can do it for the high jump and the 4×100 relay.”
Coach’s Corner: Head coach Reggie Miller spoke of Covington’s hard work ethic and her versatility as a multi-event athlete.
“Jakerra is a tremendous athlete,” Miller said. “I asked her if she wanted to jump this year and she said ‘yes.’ In her very first meet, she finished second in the high jump. In the next meet she won the long jump and jumped 16’-10”. So with her, you get a multi-event athlete who wants to win.
“She wants to win at a different level,” he added. “I know she’s going to get first or second place. Jakerra does everything right and is one of the hardest working girls I’ve ever been around. No matter what race I put her in, she’s going to put in good results.”
