Sophomore sprinter JaMeesia Ford is off to a historic start to her track career, setting school records and becoming the fifth female Gamecock to win SEC Freshman Runner of the Year (Indoor & Outdoor).
Ford's father put her in track at the age of eight years old. She said she’s always liked racing others, the competitiveness of the sport growing up and racing her brothers after her father's football coaching practices.
“At the end of their practices, we use to always race, and I used to always win," Ford said.
Growing up, the sophomore sprinter looked up to former American track and field athlete Allyson Felix, the most decorated track and field athlete ever with 20 World Championship medals and 11 medals at the Olympic Games.
“She just inspires me so much,” Ford said. “She’s a very strong woman… and I like how she inspired others.”
Ford ran track and field for Jack Britt High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina where she earned 24 gold medals across the events of the 100m, 200m, 800m, 400m and the 4x400m. She also earned seven silver medals, six bronze medals and two copper medals.
Ford earned United 8 Athletic Conference Women’s Track & Field Runner of the Year in 2022 and 2023 and United 8 Athletic Conference First Team All-Conference from 2021 to 2023. She was also Jack Britt’s Varsity Girls Track & Field Runner of the Year in 2021.
Ford was ranked second and fourth in her class for the 400 and 200 meter dashes and committed to South Carolina as a five star sprinter. Ford said the atmosphere and felt on campus playing a role in her decision to become a Gamecock.
“When I came here on my visit, it felt so much like home compared to the other schools,” Ford said. “I felt very welcomed here ... It felt like a home away from home to me.”
Sprints assistant coach Felicia Brown Edwards said Ford is a very coachable runner while also being a fun player to coach.
“She’s always had a lot of energy. She’s also dancing in practice,” Edwards said. “But when it’s time to focus, she’s able to do that.”
During the indoor season, Ford appeared in seven meets, running the 200m, 300m, 400m and the 4x400m relay. She won every race she competed in during the indoor season while also setting records to start her collegiate career at the Clemson Opener in the 300m and at the Indoor Championship in the 200m and the 4x400m relay.
Her record in the 200m was the fourth highest collegiate 200m and the fastest U20 time in history as she went on to win gold at the NCAA Indoor Championship with a time of 22.34. Ford also became the first Gamecock woman to win the indoor 200m since 2006.
For the indoor season, Ford earned 2024 Indoor First Team All-American twice, 2024 Indoor First Team All-SEC and 2024 Indoor SEC Freshman Runner of the Year.
Head coach Tim Hall talked about her performances during indoor and the outlook of her future as a Gamecock.
"It's very promising. She's, of course, 19 (Ford turned 20 after this remark) years old and has done some unbelievable things," Hall said. "What she's doing right now is very special, and I think it shows how promising her future is in the sport."
Ford appeared in nine outdoor meets running the 100m, 200m, 400m, 4x100m and the 4x400m. She won four events (100m, 200m, 400m), with the 400m win being her outdoor debut with a time of 51.16, two wins at the Charlotte Invitational and one win at the Florida Relays.
She finished second in the 200m at the NCAA East Regional. At the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Ford was the runner up in the 200m with a program record time of 22.08, third in 4x100 relay with a time of 42.63 and sixth in 4x400m relay with a program record of 3:24.26.
Although Ford wouldn't win an event in the outdoor national championship, she was able to break Felix's U20 record for the 200m, something she said she felt very fortunate to be able to accomplish.
"Even though I didn't get first place, I was very happy and blessed that I broke my inspiration's record," Ford said.
Her performance during the outdoor season earned her U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Southeast Region Women’s Track Athlete of the Year, SEC Women’s Freshman Runner of the Year and First Team All-American honors.
Outside of track and field, Ford attended the Gamecock Gala where she won co-Female Freshman of the Year alongside now sophomore women’s basketball guard MiLaysia Fulwiley.
Gamecock Gala is an annual event hosted at Colonial Life Arena that honors South Carolina's top student athletes near the end of the school year.
“That was real fun seeing all the athletes there and all of us bonding with each other,” Ford said.
Even with the records and accolades collected in her freshman season, Ford said she is going into her sophomore campaign with a couple of things she hopes to achieve this year, despite not knowing what the future holds.
“I don’t know what God has in store for me, (but) I do want to break some records this year,” Ford said. “And being healthy because I did have some bumps in the road last year."