Inspiring Student-Athlete In Newark Hits The Ground Running

NEWARK, NJ — To appreciate the inspiring moxie that Holland Henderson has brought to her school in Newark, you just need to know two words.

Triple jump.

A senior at Weequahic High School, Henderson had an outstanding season last spring, placing in every dual meet in the triple jump, as well as the long and high jump. The 2021 triple jump Super Essex conference champion, Henderson also captured the 2021 state sectional championship in the triple jump. At groups, she placed fourth in the triple jump, and ended her junior year by placing 25th in all of New Jersey at the Meet of Champions, turning out a leap that topped 34 feet.

But here’s the thing, according to her coach, Matthew Swartz – at first, she hated it.

“To be honest, she hated when I first taught her the triple jump and said she refused to do it at meets, but she would only do it at practice,” recalled Swartz, who told Patch he thinks Henderson is arguably the best overall female athlete in Newark and one of best he’s ever coached – male or female.

“The reason why I didn't want to do triple jump was because I thought it was a very hard task,” Henderson said, adding that she had a previous injury that she thought would hurt her chances of success.

After a little bit of “convincing” from her teammates and coach, however, she decided to give it a try. And now, both Henderson and Swartz are glad she did.

“It was really hard at first, but eventually, I got the hang of it,” the student-athlete said. “I was going through struggles both mentally and physically, but I didn't let that affect me.”

“I love track and field, and between my mom and coach Swartz, I am motivated to be the best,” Henderson added.

That attitude extends to her schoolwork, too. According to Swartz – with a GPA of over 4.0 – Henderson is also one of the top academic students at WHS.

The star scholar-athlete literally hit the ground running when she arrived at Weequahic High School in 2019, Swartz added:

“Holland was born at Victoria Jubilee hospital in Kingston Jamaica, but was raised in Alexandria St. Ann, Jamaica. She is very proud of being from Jamaica, and lived there until 2019. Holland then came to Newark, and entered Weequahic High School her sophomore year. Not only did she excel on the track, running very competitively in the sprints, she was even more impressive in the classroom, earning straight A’s and the high honor roll every semester.”

The treasurer of the junior class and the captain of the varsity volleyball team, she also enjoys dancing and singing in her spare time.

“Holland is an amazing mixture of talent, intelligence, determination, discipline, and is an extremely hard worker,” Swartz told Patch, adding that she stands out among the many state champs he’s coached over his career at New Brunswick, Spotswood, Science Park and now Weequahic High School.

“It is my honor to coach such a magnificent young lady,” he said. “As for her senior year, who knows what she’s capable of doing? We look forward to following her this year and in the future too.”

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

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