Franklin signs with South Plains College
June 17, 2010

By DAVID CLAYBOURN
Herald-Banner Staff

GREENVILLE -- The bigger the track and field meet, the better the performance.

That was usually the case for recent Greenville High School graduate Jessica Franklin, who finished third twice at the state meet in Austin, plus was second once at the prestigious Texas Relays and also earned district and regional titles.

Her big meet performances helped her land a scholarship with the top women’s track and field program in junior college: South Plains College of Levelland. Franklin signed a letter of intent to attend South Plains, which recently won its second straight national outdoor title in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Division I.

“She knows how to compete,” said JoAnna Vaden, who coached Franklin at Greenville and will be coaching next season at Corsicana Mildred. “She stepped up her training program this year. She’s matured. She’s got a great opportunity at a great school.”

Despite undergoing knee surgery in the offseason, Franklin advanced to state for the third straight year. Franklin leaped 17 feet 1 1/2 inches under tough conditions to finish third in the Class 4A long jump this past May in Austin. Franklin and the other jumpers sat through a 5 1/2 hour storm delay before beginning their competition.

Franklin also took third in the 4A triple jump at state as a junior, leaping 39-5 3/4 and was sixth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.86 seconds, which is a school record.

She was also fifth in the long jump as a sophomore in 2008 with a leap of 18-1/4.

Franklin has traditionally performed well at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, having also finished second there this year at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays with a leap of 18-5 1/2 in the long jump.

Franklin said she’s looking forward to the challenge of college competition.

“I’m going to run track and going to make something of myself,” she said.

Franklin, who was voted Miss GHS in the spring by her peers, plans to become either a dental hygienist or a coach.

She could end up competing on the track and in the field events for South Plains.

“I’m going to run and jump,” she said. “I’ll probably do the triple jump and the long jump and the hurdles and I hope to be on the relays.”

Vaden helped Franklin land the scholarship by sending out email inquiries to some of the top college programs. South Plains responded back and sent a coach to watch Franklin compete.

“They saw her at the state meet,” said Vaden.

Franklin plans on continuing her collegiate career after her two years at South Plains are completed.

“Probably College Station (Texas A&M) or Prairie View,” said Franklin.

South Plains won 10 individual events at the recent national championships in Hutchinson, Kan., to amass 192 points. Central Arizona was second with 117 followed by Iowa Central (78) and New Mexico Junior College (44).