Na-Kiya Robinson has started off the track season on the right foot. Robinson placed first in the 60m dash at the first meet of the season running a personal best 8.08.
Robinson transferred from Elkhorn South last year in search of a better fit for her running career.
“When she was at Elkhorn South they had her in the hurdles and this probably wasn’t the best fit for her, so finding out where she would excel the most was vital to her success and from there she has been growing more and more confident in her skills and abilities,” coach Jon Preister said.
While at Westside Robinson’s success exploded after switching from hurdles to short sprints, she was able to figure out what worked best for her.
“A lot of our athletes come to us with little experience or bad experiences in the sport of track and field. Na-Kiya is one of those athletes and to her credit she was willing to give this sport another chance. She has really grown and developed in our program,” Preister said.
Robinson attributes her success this season to her coaches helping her improve in the off season.
“The great thing about track and field is that the more and more you put into the sport and focus on your development as an athlete the larger gains you will make,” Preister said.
Robinson has stayed disciplined and put a lot of time into her development as an athlete, which has paid off because she’s having her best season yet. Earning personal bests in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
“As a senior, it’s a great feeling. I feel very proud of myself and my other teammates for working hard at our meets. Seeing everyone have a smile on their faces and staying positive really gives me hope for this season,” Robinson said.
Robinson’s race winning performance wasn’t a fluke as she’s been consistently running well in recent meets. Running a personal best in the 100m with a time of 12.97.
“As the season goes by I will be working hard nonstop by staying motivated and optimistic. This is my last year at Westside and me and the other seniors really would love to win this year,” Robinson said.
Robinson showed what she was capable of last season and coach Preister has high hopes for what she is capable of this season not only because of her physical gains, but also because of her strengthening her mindset.
“She is extremely talented and I think that she is building off of the success she had last year. This really gave her a lot of confidence and a belief in herself that she could compete in short sprints,” Preister said.
Robinson is looking forward to the rest of the season, and is motivated to win it all this year.
“The main thing that led me to where I am today are the coaches and my teammates,” she said. “Coach Preister and Coach Lloyd are very important people to me and one day I want to show them that the hard work they put into this team will pay off this year.”
