Transitioning from high school to college can be tricky for an incoming freshmen. Some are excited leave home, but others are nervous to be on their own.
For freshman cross country runner Dajour Braxton, being a part of the Southeastern Conference was a reason to be nervous, but he was ready to take on the challenge.
“I was very nervous — the whole changing the scene, switching, transitioning from high school to college,” Braxton said. “… It’s the SEC, so it’s a really tough conference.”
Braxton graduated from Centennial High School in Las Vegas. He said the deciding factor for choosing LSU was not the fine southern cuisine or the humid weather but LSU coach Khadevis Robinson.
“He’s a five-time U.S. champion,” Braxton said. “He’s very influential, very motivational. It’s just the way he does stuff, like it’s kind of like you want to be like that. I kind of look up to him.”
Robinson said he thinks the more a person pushes pass challenges, the more he or she will gain in pursuing their goals. Braxton is no exception.
“It’s a testament to Dajour that he takes the challenges and the hard work as beneficial to him,” Robinson said. “He sees my approach as something that’s positive, and so he uses it in a positive way. Some people will take challenges and constructive criticism personally. I feel that if he can continue to stay healthy and just follow the program, he’s going to shock a lot of people.”
It’s only Braxton’s first year with the Tigers, but he made the 2015 Men’s SEC All-Freshman Team, breaking his previously recorded time of 24:34:18 by 4.98 seconds.
Robinson said it was impressive, and “a testament of his hard work.”
“If it was my vote, Dajour would be SEC Freshman of the Year,” Robinson said.
Braxton’s vision for himself and the team doesn’t stop there.
“I have a lot of goals,” Braxton said. “For one, of course I want to get my individual title. Long term, I’m looking at making the U.S. team for the Olympics. Team wise, it’s LSU. I want us to win a national championship, at least two before I’m gone.”
Between striving for his goals, practicing and studying, Braxton looks to influence his three siblings as well. He said his family motivates him, specifically his sister.
“She’s 8 years old,” Braxton said. “I just want her to be able to grow up and be able to say, ‘Hey, my brother does this. My brother was that good.’ I like to really motivate them. I hope that me going to a Division I college like LSU shows them that they can do that too.”
Braxton continues to work hard to improve, though Robinson said he’s not what one would think of as a typical distance runner because of how soft-spoken and confident he is.
“I think he’s a person that has been blessed to have lived in Vegas and understands who he is, and is comfortable with that,” Robinson said. “He gets along with people. He’s funny. Everybody likes him. That’s the thing I like about him: You can’t put him in a box, and I’m the same way. You can’t put me in a box, and if you do, I’m getting out.”
The Tigers will compete in the NCAA South Central Regional in College Station, Texas, in two weeks.