KILGORE, Texas — Kilgore native Cameron Jackson has had an incredible sophomore track and field season at the University of Arkansas Little Rock, competing in the 100, 200, 4x1 and indoor 60 m.
Within a week of winning three gold medals, setting a school record in the 200 m and dominating the Sun Belt Championship meet with the top score, he was named the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Track Athlete of the Year.
A year after Jackson was named the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, he is now known as the fastest man in the Sun Belt and he credits his preparation at Kilgore High school.
"From my freshman year to my senior year of high school," Jackson said. "Coach Cooley, Coach Lane, Coach La'Tamera Fry, they never let up it was always go go go go go. The practices, in my opinion were harder than the track meets. So when it came time to run a meet it was easy, it was just like a walk through. Therefore training that hard all those years back to back to back prepared me for the collegiate level."
While in high school, Jackson qualified for the state championship for three straight years, with COVID-19 cutting his final season short. He's translated that energy to the collegiate level, earning the top meet score at the Sun Belt championship.
"I had success all throughout high school," Jackson said. "I had people within KISD staff to help keep me grounded just as much as my family on the outside keeping me grounded just as much. So when I got to college, it wasn't anything that we didn't expect. We figured that it was coming. We knew that it was coming."
Headed into Jackson's junior year, Arkansas Little Rock will be leaving the Sun Belt and transitioning into the Ohio Valley Conference, where Jackson said he will strike the ground once again.
"We really don't plan to change much," Jackson said. "The only thing that will change is the conference. Other than that, the Trojans will remain the Trojans and Cameron will remain Cameron."
