As his college career comes to a close, NC State track and field standout and All-American competitor Jonathan Addison looks poised for success.
A competitor in the long jump, high jump and short sprints, Addison has achieved a great deal of success in all three events.
The Wolfpack senior’s accolades include a 2014 ACC Outdoor title in long jump, a 2015 ACC Indoor Championship high jump title and a fourth place finish in the long jump at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Despite his diverse repertoire of events, Addison shines brightest in the long jump.
Most recently, he leapt to a personal best mark of 26-2 3/4 in long jump. He is tied for first in the NCAA, currently ranks fourth in the world and qualified to compete in the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials.
“I’m definitely going to Olympic Trials,” Addison said. “I’ve already got the standard for it. I had to jump 8.05 meters, and I jumped 8.17, so I got both the Olympic Trials standard and the Olympic standard.”
However, what most don’t know is that the Enloe High School graduate’s primary event was high jump prior to NC State.
“I was recruited for high jump,” Addison said. “I was already a long jumper but I wasn’t a super elite long jumper in high school or anything like that.”
Upon arrival at NC State, Addison decided to continue high jump but was also interested in maintaining long jump and sprints on his list of events.
“I got here, and I told the coach I really wanted to do sprints,” Addison said. “I was pretty fast, so he started training me in sprints. Sprints and long jump really go hand in hand. Some of the best long jumpers in the world are easily some of the fastest guys in the world. As I got faster, my ceiling in long jump became a lot higher than my ceiling in high jump.”
Along with success in the long jump and high jump, Addison also ranks well in the 60-meter indoor and 100-meter outdoor sprints. His top marks there are 6.83 and 10.44 seconds respectively.
His speed was swift enough to garner fourth place finishes at the 2015 ACC indoor and outdoor conference meets.
After a fruitful 2015 campaign, Addison and his coach spent a portion of the pre-season re-evaluating their goals for his final year in Wolfpack red.
“Me and [Assistant Coach Chris Coleman] talked about this summer, how my season went and how I had to up my goals,” Addison said. “Originally, my goal was 26 feet, but I hit that last year. We just increased them. We really want to make the Olympics in Brazil this year. To be in contention to do that, we have to jump 27 feet.”
Addison trains with discipline. In practice, he frequently tackles workouts that test his explosive power. He is knowledgeable about the benefits of these workouts as well.
“Much of the work we do is speed training,” Addison said. “It’s explosiveness, quick reactions and things to get as fast as possible down the runway while being under control and able to time the jump. That means speed and control are the main two things that go into long jump.”
His discipline is also illustrated in the classroom as well. Addison is studying industrial engineering, and in 2015, he was awarded ACC scholar-athlete of the year for track and field.
As the collegiate track and field championship seasons approach, Addison is eager to achieve victory against a competitive field.
“This year I just want to win it all,” Addison said. “ACC’s I’m ahead by a lot right now, but I actually have to go into the championships and do it there. My first goal is to win ACC’s in long jump.”
After the collegiate track circuit ends in June, Addison will funnel his focus toward qualifying for the 2016 USA Olympic team.
“I have to finish top-three at the Olympic trials to make the Olympics, and I’m really working toward that,” Addison said. “I know it’s a long way out. It’s a long season, but that is the path I’m on.”
