Hillhouse Track Stars
Sign Onto Their Future

Family was the theme at a college signing day program for four track stars at Hillhouse High School — and that extended to the enduring bonds formed between coaches and teammates.

The signing event took place Monday evening at Hillhouse’s Floyd Little Athletic Center. Four track and field standouts formally signed letters of intent to attend specific colleges or universities on track and field scholarships this coming fall.

“We’ll always be your family. We’ll always be your support. If you need help, we’re just a call away,” emcee and assistant track and field coach Darrell Brown told the four athletes, Jennifer Torres Garcia, Ralph Hawkins, Jquan Athis, and Matthew Gibbs.

The event, which was held at Floyd Little Athletic Center, featured remarks by Hillhouse track and field coaches, recognition of alumni athletes, and speeches by the scholarship athletes amid a spirited group of family, friends, and teammates. 

Brown said it was the second signing program that year. ​“I don’t think anyone else around in this city is doing what we’re able to do with these amazing student-athletes,” he said. 

“We’re more than a team,” coach Michele Moore said. ​“We’re a track family at Hillhouse, and when your family moves away, they don’t cease to be a family. We’re still here for you.”

Coach Gary Moore, Sr. exhorted the younger athletes in the audience to follow the examples set by the scholarship athletes.

“This is really about you looking at these people and being inspired by them to want to sit up here and have the same opportunities,” he said.

Then the athletes took the stage. 

Jennifer Torres Garcia, a standout middle distance runner, said she suffered from depression and anxiety through her first two years of high school.

“Those years were tough but I’m grateful that I had many people who believed in me and found ways to push me and help me see that I was capable of much more,” she said. 

She thanked her coaches ​“for always believing in my potential to perform better than what I expect in myself,” recounting one who met her at the track at 6 a.m. on Saturdays to help her get in a workout before work. 

She recognized her father for showing up to each of her races ​“even if it meant going to work a little late.” Her mother, she said, ​“had to take care of my little sisters, which made it difficult for her to get to my meets, but I always knew when I got home she’d have a big plate of food waiting for me.” 

To a chorus of cheers, she announced that she will be studying criminal justice and crime analysis at the University of New Haven on a track scholarship. 

To introduce the next honoree, Ralph Hawkins, Coach Brown recalled a 4x200 meter race during the indoor season.

“It seemed like we were out of the race, and that young boy named Flash got the baton in his hand and Xavier is still talking about it to this day,” he said. 

That’s why, Brown said, he’s also known as ​“the human highlight reel.” 

Ralph said he first met Brown in middle school. As punishment for getting into a fight in class, ​“Coach Brown made me do pushups, and I got stuck at six, and the whole class was laughing and the girl I was dating at the time said you is too weak for me and that kind of hit home,” he said. ​“So here I am.” 

He thanked his mother. ​“Every time life got hard, she was there,” he said. ​“I lost my dad, and my brother, my sisters, and everyone else, they were there too.” 

When he pulled his hamstring during his sophomore year, ​“it was pretty tough watching people who weren’t as fast as me winning meets,” he said. ​“Now I’m #1 in the state.” 

Everyone roared.

He recognized Brown ​“for always finding a way to push through it,” he said. ​“If I was hurt, like at the SCC’s, like my back, hamstrings, everything was hurting, he told me to run through it, and I PRed in an event I don’t even do.” 

“I’m going to Alabama A&M for criminal justice,” he added. ​“That’s about it.”

“Okay, Ralphie,” someone called out. 

“Do your thing, Ralphie,” Brown said. 

When the applause died down, Brown introduced the next honoree, Jquan Athis. 

“This person had a situation happen to him, and he found a way to reframe it and use it as inspiration,” Brown said. ​“He’s come a long way and now he’s one of the top throwers in the state, and that’s why he’s sitting up here today.” 

Jquan, who competes in the shotput, discus, and javelin throws, described himself as an energetic and hard-headed kid who was prone to getting into trouble.

Then he grew somber. ​“On March 8, 2021, I lost my mom,” he said, pausing to collect himself. Brown and Wallie Carmichael, his throwing coach, stood up on either side of him. 

“That’s alright, J,” a member of the girls’ team called out. ​“That’s OK.”

“After my mom passed, I didn’t know what I was going to do for a while, and then I decided I needed to change, I needed to start being a better me,” he said, stopping again. Carmichael rested his hand on Jquan’s shoulder.

“I never thought I would be going to school on a scholarship for track and field because I’ve been playing football my whole life, but just having my family, my grandmother, my dad, my uncle, and a bunch of my friends behind me, pushing me, has been a real help,” he said.

“And I just don’t want to disappoint my mom, so I get up everyday to make her proud, strive to be the best at what I can be and I just want to leave a message for her that I love her, and I’m gonna do what I’m supposed to do.” 

“C’mon now,” someone shouted, as Jquan announced he will major in criminal justice and minor in business at the University of New Haven. 

Matthew Gibbs, who competes in the hurdles, thanked his coaches, his teammates, and his family for their support. 

Then he cleared his throat. 

“A year and a half ago today, my dad came in my room,” he said. ​“Basketball season was over and he said it was time for track. I haven’t run track since my eighth-grade year and he was telling me to go back at it. I kept telling him no.” 

Eventually he joined the team. It turned out to be the right decision, it seems.

“Without my dad, I wouldn’t be here speaking today,” he said. ​“My dad is strictly business when it comes to sports and grades. Without him, I wouldn’t be the defending state champion and school record holder in the 300- and 400-hurdles. Without him, I wouldn’t be a SCC scholar-athlete.” 

He said he was recruited by some of the top track programs in the country. ​“That encouraged me to choose a strictly black college,” he said of his decision to attend Morgan State University on a tuition-free scholarship. ​“As an African American athlete, I feel like it was the right choice and the first step to bringing more exposure to all HBCUs in the country.” 

With that, Brown instructed the athletes to pick up their pens and sign their names to their national letters of intent.

After congratulating them, he addressed the younger members of the teams.

“Anytime you feel down, lean on each other, lean on your coaches, so that when you become a senior, you can be sitting up here as well,” he said.

Following the ceremony, Brown took in the jubilation of the crowd.

“These are the best days,” he said. ​“These are the things that give me joy. It’s tough sometimes. You don’t always get the results that you want. But when we can help them get to the finish line, that’s a beautiful thing.”