On Wednesday, some of the best athletes and teams in the country will take the track and the field in Jacksonville, Florida, for the East Preliminary track and field championships, which is also the first round of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
One of those athletes looking to burst onto the scene and claim his spot for the final round of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Austin, Texas, is Ethan Exilhomme. Exilhomme attends Northeastern University and competes in the 110m hurdles.
While he might not be well-known in the national circuit, he’s looking to shock the world at the championships and advance to the next round. After competing in the regional championships last season, he’s changed his mentality from last year to this year and has bigger goals headed into the start of the meet on Wednesday.
“So last year I got in, I think it was like the 44th spot, so it wasn’t really much expectations,” he said. “So my goal I set there would be just to go there and get the experience. But I’m thinking this year, mostly, I just want to advance on to the day to then just advance on to the next, Texas. So I’m looking to advance to the top 12.”
The talented hurdler has had great success when he’s competed this season. He’s broken multiple school records for Northeastern, and has had strong showings in big meets. Despite suffering an injury setback, Exilhomme is ready to put together a strong showing in post-season competition.
“It’s been pretty pretty good,” he said. “I came off indoor running pretty well. So then I had a few weeks where each meet, I was running a little bit better. At (Texas Relays), I surprised myself a lot because I didn’t really have much expectations going in there because I knew the field was really deep, and even to make the finals, you had to run like a crazy time. So I felt like I ran really well there. And then I kind of hurt my groin a little bit after the Texas Relays and I wasn’t really able to run much. So I didn’t run the hurdles again until my conference meet, which was a week or two ago. So I felt like I was at a pretty good pace when I got there. But then it kind of slowed me down a little bit once I hurt my groin, but I’m feeling like I’m back now. So confidence wise, I’m pretty up there.”
Exilhomme will compete against a host of talent from various schools across the country. The experience of competing against some of the best in the country and holding his own against them gives him confidence headed into the regional meet on Wednesday.
“I think it just comes from competing with these guys in the regular season,” he said. “So once I really get to the regional level, I’m not going to be really too scared because I’ve seen these guys multiple times in the regular season. And I didn’t do bad against them. So I feel like I can just go there and just do what I regularly do. If I just run at a pretty average time that I usually consist of, I can just be fine.”
Exilhomme had some of the nation’s best times in the 110 hurdles coming out of high school. Unfortunately, the emergence of COVID-19 hurt his recruiting process. So how did one of the nation’s best end up at Northeastern? It’s simple. They gave him an opportunity to run for them, and he never looked back.
“Honestly, I liked the weather up there,” he said. “It wasn’t like the straight one season all year round. I liked that they had a good education system. It really attracted me. And then I also liked how they believed in me at first, because I remember when I moved there, and during COVID times, everything was shut down and I didn’t have a season under me. No one really knew who I was. I contacted all the schools, I got nothing. Then Northeastern actually answered me. So then they picked me up on a whim. And so I was able to produce all the times. So I just thought it was a great place to go since they believed me in the beginning. So why go somewhere else when someone else didn’t want you to begin?”
Exilhomme competed for Timber Creek High School in Orlando, Florida, after he and his mom made the move from the Northeast to the Sunshine state. He dominated the competition throughout his career and ended up winning the Nike Outdoor National Championship with a lifetime best of 13.51 in the 110 hurdles. The tough competition that he faced in high school gives him confidence as he competes at NCAA Regionals.
“I think it really just gives you experience of what you can do, because you’re racing against kids in Florida – you’re running a 10.5 (100m) and that may not even get to the finals,” he said. “So once you get to regionals, nationals and races like that, they’re gonna be guys just like that, but way faster and you’re not going to be the fastest guy. So once you get put in a position like that, you’re not gonna get scared. You can know how to handle it, the pressure and all that.”
Exilhomme is excited to head back to Jacksonville to compete at the NCAA Regional meet, especially since he’s had great success competing on that track over the years. Regardless of who he’s lined up against, don’t expect him to back down. He’s in it to win it.
“Well I’m a competitor, so I just like to win,” he said. “So for me to just get out there and win – if I’m on the field or on the track, I’m going to want to win. So I’m going to do everything in my power to get there. So just wanting to win this is pushing me a lot to do so.”
The first round of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship East Preliminary meet will take place from May 24-27.
