Editor’s note: This story on Navasky Anderson is Part 1 of a four-part series on Mississippi State track and field athletes competing in NCAA outdoor championships. Part 2 will run in Monday’s paper.
STARKVILLE — Navasky Anderson’s wait ended in disappointment.
Finishing fifth in the first heat of the 800-meter quarterfinals at the 2021 NCAA East prelims in Jacksonville, the Mississippi State runner had to watch the other heats if he’d qualify for national championships.
Ultimately, though, his time of 1 minute, 49.58 seconds wasn’t good enough. In an event where the top 12 runners advance, Anderson finished 15th, missing the cut by 0.47 seconds. (MSU teammate Leon Clarke suffered even more heartbreak, finishing 13th — just 0.06 seconds off 12th).
Coming so close drove Anderson, a redshirt junior from Kingston, Jamaica, to make sure his 2022 outdoor track season would come with no regrets.
“I used that same determination and energy I had last year,” Anderson said. “I tripled that. I came back this year and told myself, ‘Listen, I have to be No. 1 this year.’”
Anderson still has a chance. He powered his way to second in East prelims in Bloomington, Indiana, booking a hard-earned ticket to this year’s outdoor nationals.
Anderson is one of four Bulldogs competing from Wednesday to Saturday in Eugene, Oregon.
“To be honest, it feels like all the hard work I’ve been putting in is really paying off right now,” he said.
Anderson posted a time of 1:47.83 in the May 28 quarterfinal after a 1:49.99 in the first round. He’ll compete in the semifinals of the 800 at 8:14 p.m. Wednesday; the final will be contested at 9:14 p.m. Friday.
Anderson came to Mississippi State after two years at Essex County College in New Jersey, competing in two NJCAA indoor championships and one outdoor championship. (The 2020 outdoor championship was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.)
But he sought a different atmosphere after his second season in New Jersey and found it in Starkville.
“I felt this environment was going to be a great environment for me to focus both academically and on the track,” Anderson said. “I thought this was going to be a great escape for me to get out of the city and take a few years of my life to focus on what really means a lot to me.”
That strategy worked. Anderson’s times got better and better once he joined the Bulldogs.
“When I came here to Mississippi State University, I just started to improve rapidly — improving from 1:52.8 and jumping to 1:45.8,” Anderson said. “That’s really a big step.”
He set that career-best mark — 1:45.89, officially — at Southeastern Conference championships from May 12-14 in Oxford. Anderson won the 800 and set a facility record in the event.
Anderson said tension mounted leading up to his event, but head coach Chris Woods came up to him beforehand and helped put his mind at ease.
“You’ve put in the work,” Woods told Anderson. “You’ve been training for this. I believe in you. I know you can do this. You know you can do this. So just release all the tension, loosen up and just go out there and have some fun.”
Anderson did, setting the stage for a strong performance two weeks later to book a trip to nationals.
He’ll get to represent Jamaica in the process, something Anderson is excited to do. He said he wants to show younger athletes that the country is dominant in the 800 just like Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt achieved with his record-setting 100-meter time.
“Representing my country, that’s one of the things that I’m looking forward to the most,” Anderson said. “That’s the drive and the motivation.”
He comes from an area with a great tradition in track and field. The sport was “at the top of everything” at St. Jago High School, where there was fierce competition to even make the varsity roster.
Anderson had no problem with that. He said he has prided himself on successes both academic and athletic.
“Before my dominance in track and field, I was always known as that individual who was always dominating the books,” he said. “I came here with a 3.92 cumulative GPA in my junior year. I’ve always had high standards for myself, and I just keep the high standards on and off the track.”
Those high standards have gotten Anderson all the way to outdoor nationals.
And once again, he has set the bar high.
“My only intention is to win the national championships, and I don’t see myself outside of any other position,” Anderson said. “I’ve been training for it. I’m determined. I’m fearless. And I’m just going to keep chasing my goals.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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