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A dominant athlete in two events, and a scorer in others, Justina Williams of The College of Wooster probably left opposing track & field coaches from the North Coast Athletic Conference counting down the days until her graduation.
Williams exploded onto the scene during the 1998 outdoor season. Having not competed indoors because she was a member of the basketball team, the first-year jumper won an NCAC championship in the triple jump (35 feet, 1 inch), finishing more than a foot ahead of the runner-up, and was second in the long jump (16 feet).
Trading the laces in for the spikes permanently, Williams placed among the top-three in both events at the 1999 NCAC indoor meet, then missed the outdoor season.
Back at full-strength and with three years of eligibility remaining, Williams started logging massive point totals for the Fighting Scots. She particularly excelled indoors, voted an NCAC Most Valuable Performer (field events) in both 2001 and 2002. She won the long jump each time and was second-place in the triple, a half inch shy from sweeping the events as a junior.
In 2001, Williams competed at the NCAA Div. III Championships, earning seventh- and eighth-place finishes in the long jump (18 feet, 3.25 inches) and triple jump (36 feet, 9 inches), respectively. Unfortunately for her, that was the final year only the top-six were accorded All-American recognition (top-eight now).
“Justina was here when we didn’t have the luxury of the beautiful indoor facility we have now,” stated long-time head coach Dennis Rice. “She had to compete at a time when we utilized the high school and practices were 10 p.m. to midnight. She was dedicated and committed to having success both in- and out-of-the-classroom. (The lack of facilities) presented a big-time commitment, especially late at night. We had to make due with what we had and she never complained.”
For her career, Williams piled up six NCAC championships, headlined by sweeping the outdoor long jump as a sophomore (17 feet, 8 inches), junior (18 feet, 4.25 inches), and senior (18 feet, 0.75 inches), and 17 all-conference certificates – a total tied for seventh all-time in team history. She qualified for nationals one other time (2001 outdoors), but was forced to withdraw from both the long jump and triple jump due to injury after one jump.
While known for her talents as a field competitor, one running performance flies under the radar. As a junior, Williams finished third in the indoor 55-meter dash with a still-standing school-record time of 7.62 seconds. Additionally, she scored at conference meets in the high jump, 100 meters, and 4x200 relay, and willing to contribute to the team in any manner, she even tried her hand at the heptathlon once.
Williams still holds Wooster records for the indoor long jump, set at the 2001 national meet, and the triple jump (36 feet, 10.5 inches).
Since graduating from the College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Williams has worked for the federal government for 13 years. She started out as a co-op student postgraduate and has ascended to her current position of chief of a facilities field operations branch for the Department of Homeland Security.
Williams lives in Fort Worth, Texas, and has a daughter Cayenne (4).