Track and Field athlete placed 6th in high jump last year

Katelyn Richardson, a 23-year-old from Wilmington, Massachusetts, is at NECC for her certificate in American Sign Language interpretation. She is part of the track and field program at Northern Essex is hoping to head back to the NJCAA Division 3 national competition in Utica, New York on Saturday, May 11, 2019. Richardson has had experience in competing in college athletics before joining the Knights. She went to James Madison University located in Harrisonburg, Virginia and competed in both the cross country and track club teams.  She got her bachelor’s from JMU in sports medicine and also minored in biology. Last year, Richardson broke the school record for the women’s high jump with the height of 4’7 ¾” and is hoping to set an even better record for the same event. Richardson started her running career in the seventh-grade due to the influence of her middle school gym teacher, Mr.Meacker. “I did my first track meet in seventh grade because of my gym teacher,” Richardson stated, “He had high jump in his gym classes and he thought I would be good at it.” She also met someone who inspired her to keep going.“

Dick Fosbury is the man who revolutionized high jump and who I was coached by in the summer at his camp and I coached with him over the summers.” Richardson worked with a famous person in the track and field world. Would you also be star struck to work with someone who is considered a celebrity in the world of your favorite sport?  At last year’s national competition, Richardson came in sixth place for the high jump and claimed an All-American title for placing in the top eight.  She is hoping to go back the second year in a row for the same event and place even higher.

“I expect to go back to Nationals again,” Richardson says, “I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to jump again because of my back injury I got in July 2018. I’m hoping to jump five feet. I’m excited to be with this team as whole.” Will Katie Richardson go back to Nationals again and break her own personal best from last year?  Check out neccknights.com or the knights official Instagram page @neccknights to follow up on updates that will include Richardson, her other track and field teammates, other sports and their schedules to see where each team will be traveling.  For more information about athletics, contact head director of athletics Dan Blair at dblair@necc.mass.edu, the assistant of athletics Jeff Mejia at jmejia@necc.mass.edu, or the second assistant director of athletics Maureen Saliba at msaliba@necc.edu.