Yhann Plummer expects big things from his SUNO track team
The practice running track at City Park is filled with high school runners and coaches. In the midst of young runners is a small group of slightly older athletes vying for valuable time and space on the track as they prepare for one of the biggest track and field meets in America, the NAIA Indoor National Championships held annually in Johnson City, Tennessee. That is where a group of runners from the Southern University at New Orleans men's track team will be competing from March 4th to March 6th.
Championship history
Ask the average New Orleans high school athlete which Louisiana university has the most national championships, and he or she will correctly answer Louisiana State University. Ask which institution has the second most in the state, and he or she will most likely answer incorrectly. The last answer that anyone in the state would expect to hear is SUNO. The small Gentilly area institution boasts seven national championships, all in track and field. Their run to glory began in 1975 when they won the NCAA Division III men's outdoor national championship. The team repeated their victories in 1976 and 1977.
The program has remained formidable throughout the years. The last four national championships SUNO has enjoyed, however, came in the '90's. The women's team grabbed NAIA indoor championships in 1995 and 1997, and did the same in outdoor in 1995 and 1997. Not only has track and field been the bread and butter program for SUNO athletics, but cross country has also enjoyed some regional success. From 1986 to 1990 the Knights won the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference championship twice and the Lady Knights won the championship four times. SUNO has even had the privilege of having Olympians Sevatheda Fynes (Bahamas), Julius Achon (Uganda), Michael Blackwood (Jamaica), Maurice Wignall (Jamaica), Cydonnie Mothersill (Cayman Islands) and Christopher Brown (Bahamas) participate in the cross country and track and field programs.
Despite the eleven-year drought in national championships, Southern University at New Orleans has maintained its reputation for being a quality program among their peers around the country. Even after Hurricane Katrina compromised the program, SUNO managed a top-20 finish at the national indoor championships in 2007, 11th place at the indoor championships in 2008 and 15th place in both the indoor and outdoor championships in 2009.
High expectations
As the talented Knights practice on the 50-degree day, they are driven by teammate/assistant coach Younne Reid. Smelling greatness, Reid barks feedback at All-Americans Norbert Miller, Adrian Simpson and Hylton Campbell as they blow past him. He gives the three sprinters, Renardo Pearson and women's team members, Safia Jenkins and Monicah Jepkemboi, technical feedback at the ends of their runs. Quietly, Yhann Plummer approaches. Plummer and Reid, both natives of Jamaica, exchange pleasantries and notes on the runners in a charming Jamaican patois.
Plummer is an unassuming and very quiet man, and he is also a star. A 2007 graduate of SUNO, he is currently pursuing his master's degree in Management Information Systems while doubling as the men's and women's head coach of the track and field squad. As an undergraduate Plummer achieved NAIA All-American status ten times, and he was the last SUNO runner to win the national 100 meter dash crown. He has also competed on the worldwide stage for his native Jamaica in the 12th annual IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain, where he achieved a personal best of 6.65 seconds in the 60 meter dash. Had it not been for an injury, he would most likely have made the cut to join the Jamaican National Team for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The dream to run in the Olympics still lives in Plummer, by the way. So profound is Plummer's talent that he competed on the Jamaican 4 x 100 relay team with world record holder Usain Bolt in the 2002 World Junior Championships. As a coach, he was named the NAIA 2008 Region XIII Coach of the Year.
SUNO's modest history, in athletics and as an institution, would suggest that the Knights be satisfied with even qualifying runners for the national championships. "Those (national championship) banners in the gym are old," says Reid. "We want to win, period." When asked about his expectations of his team, Plummer calmly says, "Adrian should win. I expect (the team) to finish in the top ten." The goal may be a tall order but it is realistic for Plummer. SUNO will be fielding nationally seasoned runners in the 60 meter dash (Campbell), 200 meter dash (Campbell), 400 meter dash (Simpson and Miller) and 4 x 400 relay, a team including Campbell, Simpson, Miller and national championship newcomer Peter McFarlane.
Beating the odds
SUNO's track and field team excels despite a litany of obstacles. Any visitor to the university's campus will notice that the Health and Physical Education Building houses the comptroller's office where the weight room used to be. Now located on the second floor of the building alongside classrooms, the room consists only of equipment that their staff were able to carry to the second level. Housing the comptroller's office is a result of the university's lack of space due to destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina. A meager budget also presents a problem in addition to having one trainer that the team must share with the basketball teams as well as the volleyball team. One trainer means less quality attention to athletes' injuries.
Although a frustration, Plummer does what he is paid to do--produce champions. Track and field is serious business for him as it is for most Jamaicans. Track and field in Jamaica is like football in America. It is the stuff of life. He goes to his runners on side of the crowded practice track, and shares last words and a couple of laughs before they depart for the day. "We're going to do well in Tennessee, Mr. Francis," says Plummer with a smile.
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