Indoor track and field season is just a couple of weeks old, but already athletes from St. John’s University are establishing a high standard. Senior thrower Jennifer Odoemene earned Big East Women’s Field Athlete of the Week honors in recognition of her first-place performances at the Fordham Lid Lifter and the Bill Ward Invitational.
Odoemene, who grew up in West Orange, N.J., got involved with track and field in high school, doing a bit of everything. Eventually, she gravitated to throwing—discus, shotput and hammer—and honed her skills with private coaches. Initially, discus was her best event, but now she also excels at hammer throw.
“Even though it’s a technical sport, I love it,” she said. “I’ve always loved discus since high school. The way my coach taught it to me, it was one of my better sports.”
As a freshman at St. John’s, Odoemene looked up to her teammates, especially thrower Nyla Woods, who graduated last spring. “Her technique and skill inspired me to do better,” said Odoemene. “She’s the reason I trained hard, so I could get to her level. She was a great teammate.”
Odoemene originally chose St. John’s for its nationally known pharmacy program, but the six-year program proved incompatible with being a student-athlete. She switched her major to health care administration. Once she’s finished her competitive years and earned her bachelor’s, Odoemene will likely return to the pharmacy program. The quality of its curriculum and the career potential still excite her.
“I feel I was able to do better in [health care administration] because it’s more discussions and analysis,” she said. “In my health care classes, we discuss current events and have more class discussions.”
Before St. John’s, Odoemene mainly competed in discus. Thanks to private coaching, she has some background in hammer, but college was still a learning curve. “Every year, you learn a big step,” she said. “You never really master the event. You’re always learning.”
The Big East conference honors came as a surprise and Odoemene found it exciting and motivational. People around campus congratulated her and her mother proudly forwarded the press release to family and friends. Her family’s Nigerian background pushes Odoemene to excel.
“Whether it’s school, track or something else, you always want to do better,” Odoemene said. “You always want to be the best. That’s what my parents instilled in me and where my drive comes from.”