Alexa Williams Looks To Rebound In Nationals

Alexa Williams has come across some bittersweet moments lately. Dayton's junior track star is used to dominating the competition, so it'll be interesting to see how she handles a rare setback.  

Following her admittedly disappointing showing at the New Jersey Meet of Champions at South Plainfield High's Frank Jost Field, last Thursday, Williams is now at a bit of a crossroads.  

Although she didn't place in any of her specialty events—the triple-, long-, and high-jumps and the 100 high-hurdles—she still received an invite to the Nationals, June 18, in North Carolina.    

Williams is coming off a 9^th-overall finish at the Meet of Champions, where she couldn't break her usual 5'6" mark in the high-jump. Despite qualifying for the Nationals, Williams was understandably still "bummed" about last week's meet.    

"I only did 5'2" but I was very tired and things caught up to me," said Williams. "I should be clearing at least 5'6" easily. I'm used to doing it all year and when it counted most it didn't happen."          

Williams insists her woes at South Plainfield can be corrected before Nationals. She also said despite the litany of commitments in recent past, like minor meets and prom, she said her slump is more mental than physical.     

"Right now it's a mental thing but I have to get back into it," she insisted. "I've been working so hard so it's frustrating. I think I'm letting everything get to me."   

Luckily for Williams she'll have Dayton head coach Jackie Zika to help prepare for Nationals. Zika technically doesn't have an obligation to accompany Williams to the UNC-A&T Greensboro campus but insisted on being there.          

"We don't have any more meets, so I hope she recovers. Because when it really mattered, she was having troubles. Hopefully we can turn that around," said Zika.    

The sixth-year head coach added she won't be allowed to coach Williams from the coach's box during actual events but will be there for guidance in the moments before and after.   

"I'm accompanying her down there. Alexa's family is flying and I'll be driving to give her as much support as I can," said Zika. "Me being there, I don't really have to go as an affiliation with the school, but I want to go. No coach's box for me, though, so I'll have to sit with the spectators. I can't be right next to her before jumps but afterwards she can seek me out—but she knows how to coach herself."   

Although Williams showed a bit of apprehension when told of her mostly solo act, she said she feels she'll be ready.           

"It's going to be hard because I'll need to know what am I doing wrong and she's usually there to tell me that," said Williams. "I'm really happy she's coming, though, because she's really supportive. I didn't do well [at South Plainfield] but I can't just sulk. I have to go to Nationals and redeem myself and pick myself up again."  

The first order of business for Zika will be to restructure Williams's confidence.   

"She was very upset. She doesn't know what it's like to not win high-jump," said Zika. "It was so hard for her to deal with that. I know how she feels and it's the most mental of sports because no jumps are the same. You just can't come back to jump the same or figure the next one will be better. But I've been telling her that it's ok to not have your best meet. I've been talking all positive."  

If Williams lacks the confidence right now, Zika has enough for the both of them, however.     

"She can absolutely challenge 5'10" [in the high-jump] at Nationals. But first we need to work on her mental," said Zika. "I've been telling her that it [the slump] has nothing to do with ability. She just needs to be mentally comfortable and we're trying to work on that. She can certainly compete with the local state stars like Fiona [Paladino of Montgomery High] as well as national stars."  

What was so mystifying for athlete and coach was the way Williams lost at the championship. According to Williams, she was easily clearing 5'6" at almost every event, so the 5'2" mark left them scratching their heads.   

"She's an amazing athlete who routinely gets 5'8", which means she's averaged six inches higher than the start of last season," Zika said. "But this is her last meet of the year, so she needs to get back to being Alexa. After this, she'll definitely need a break."  

But before Williams runs off into the summer sun, she'll need to get her mental back up to speed with her physical. She says she's preparing hard but modestly sounded as if she hopes something special happens at Nationals.    

"I can only hope I can do well," Williams said. "I went to [indoor] winter nationals [in New York] but the really good people were in Boston then. But these nationals, everyone good is there so I'm kind of nervous.    

"Coaches from all these colleges will be there and I'll be competing with the best in the country, so of course I'm a little intimidated. But I have to go because it'll prepare me for college, where there will be people better than me."   

Reticence and reservations aside, Zika said that Williams is "the best Dayton track star" she's ever been around.         

"As far as I know this is the first Dayton athlete to ever qualify at Nationals," said Zika. "Or at least the last 13-14 years I've been associated with Dayton, as a coach of six years, teacher, and student. Alexa is a great athlete and super competitive. She'll be ready."