Daye Shon Roberson: Focused on the Finish

Oklahoma junior Daye Shon Roberson admits her mind occasionally wanders to Rio. "Oh, that would be awesome," she said. "It most definitely is a goal."

Roberson's mother, Tammie, also has thoughts on Rio, but not out loud. "I've kind of been hush-hush about it," Tammie said. "I don't think Daye Shon wants to be jinxed about it."

The upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will have to wait, however. Roberson's next task comes Friday and Saturday at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at Birmingham, Ala., where the Sooners will have nine qualifiers making their first trips to the national indoor meet.

Roberson will compete in the 200. "My preparation is to take on what's in front of me first and not worry about what's next," Roberson said.

OU sprints coach Ronnye Harrison echoed, "Daye Shon's plan is for Rio this year, but we look at it as one meet at a time, one title at a time."

Sooners coach Jim VanHootegem said he thinks Roberson could have global success, but right now the sole focus is in Birmingham, America. "I don't think Rio's out of the question," said VanHootegem. "She could certainly make it into a relay pool. It's not unusual for someone to come off a collegiate season and carry that right into the Olympic trials. I do think she's a person who can run at that level. I absolutely do."

“Daye Shon has that level of talent you can't train ... People just have that ability and Daye Shon is very special."
OU Sprints Coach Ronnye Harrison

Roberson originally is from Detroit but moved to Houston, where she became a three-time All-American and helped lead Wheatley High School to the state championship as a senior. Her repertoire stretches from the 60 meter to the 800 meter and all points in between, both individually and as a relay member. A sprinter's résumé that stretches that distance is rare. How did Roberson's skills become so wide?

"I have no idea," Roberson admitted with a chuckle. "I just go out there and do it. There's really no thought to it. I've been training forever. You just put one foot in front of the other and drive your arms and go across the finish line."

Harrison's explanation is far more complimentary. "Daye Shon has that level of talent you can't train," Harrison said. "People just have that ability and Daye Shon is very special. Her elastic qualities enable her to run strong, and as she gets stronger, she can run longer. She's really powerful off the ground, so she can run the short races, too. The more elasticity you have, the better you bounce off the ground and the faster you're going to end up being."

Roberson knows she possesses these qualities. "I'm just a very prancy, bouncy person and I can jump pretty high." (Add the high jump to her wish list?)

Roberson stretches past the finish line to win the 60-meter dash at OU's J.D. Martin Invitational on Jan. 16.

Roberson also is a skilled long jumper, and constantly lets her coaches know it.

Any chance VanHootegem and his staff might relent and allow Roberson to compete in field events? "I seriously doubt it," Roberson said with a sigh. "I've been trying to get to that pit for the longest time, but they are not having it."

Harrison acknowledged Roberson's potential in field events. "The things that she can do would make her an outstanding long jumper," Harrison said. "Daye Shon can stand and jump over a 42-inch hurdle on a standstill. She is not ordinary. She's that little girl who used to run around with little boys and get in trouble all the time because they were running and jumping over stuff, doing all of that."

Tammie said the second oldest of her seven children was running sprints as soon as she could walk.

"When Daye Shon was young, it's kind of funny, but she would run at people," Tammie said. "She was not a kid you had to pick up. She would run at people. She would run up a tree and climb a tree. She was always quick and agile, a good athlete as well. Each challenge that came our way, she would take it. Anything she would do, she made sure she was the best at it. She would not give up."

Roberson posted a PR 23.14 in the 200-meter dash this season, a time that then ranked third in the world. Her recorded effort qualified her for the NCAA Indoor Championships. (Pictured at Big 12 Championships.)

When Roberson achieved her national indoor qualifying mark in the 200, her coaches didn't seek additional events even though Roberson likely could have qualified if asked. Her strongest events are the 400 and 4x400. Roberson opened the 2016 indoor season with a 52.62 clocking in the 400, which at the time was the world best in the event this year. Roberson qualified for nationals in the 200 at 23.14 and also ran a 7.36 in the 60.

Her previous outdoor season bests have been 11.74 in the 100 (2014), 23.22 in the 200 (2015) and 51.37 in the 400 (2015).

As a sophomore last year, Roberson was a 2015 NCAA Outdoor first-team All-American in the 400-meter dash. She also has been a Big 12 scorer three years running in events including the 4x400-meter relay, 4x100-meter relay, the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter dash.

“I look around and cry with all she does ... I'm like, 'Wow, I made that.' That's my daughter. It's amazing. It's a blessing."
Tammie Roberson

"I just try to make the best choices on what she's going to run from meet to meet," Harrison said. "There might be a meet when I want her to run over 400, just to give her some variety. If I'm going to put Daye Shon in the 800, she has to work on being patient because she'll try to run an 800 at a 400 pace. I'm very happy she qualified for the (indoor) 200 because I think there's a lot of stress put on her as a 400-meter runner. There's a little less stress and I wanted her to have some fun with this meet. She likes the variety. There's an element of our sport that cannot be overlooked, and it's one of the most important things that athletes have to have. You have to have that little-kid mentality. 'Hey, I want to race you.' If you become a specialist too soon, you can become emotionally jaded and just be stuck. I think what keeps Daye Shon's fire burning is she can run so many different things."

In how many events would Tammie Roberson like her daughter to compete? "Because I'm such a competitive person, the more the merrier," Tammie said with a laugh. "If you're a leader, sometimes a leader has to add more weight (more events). You're put in that position."

Roberson's repertoire figures to expand in the upcoming outdoor season when she hits her comfort zone.

Roberson flexes her muscle after winning the team intrasquad pentathlon during the fall. She posted the women's best mark in the standing long jump.

"I prefer the outdoor," Roberson said. "I don't believe track is an indoor sport at all."

Harrison added, "All of them like running better outdoors than they do indoors."

When not in track shoes, Roberson also plays piano.

"I tell her to just do your best at all times and all the rest will fall into place," Tammie said. "Make your hard work pay off."

Tammie playfully admits her favorite event to watch is the one her daughter happens to be winning at the time.

"Now it's to the point where I look around and cry with all she does," Tammie said in a prideful tone. "I'm like, 'Wow, I made that.' That's my daughter. It's amazing. It's a blessing."

Initially recruited to the Sooners by previous coach Martin Smith, Roberson struggled to adapt her freshman season. "She'd call me crying," Tammie said. "She was hurting. She went from being somewhat of a celebrity (in high school) to having to prove herself all over again. It was kind of scary."

Voted a team captain this season, Roberson now thrives in other teammates' success as much as her own, especially when running a relay.

"It's one thing to win something yourself, but it's something else when you can take something and celebrate with other people," Roberson said. "It just has a little bit more meaning."

Roberson outran most of the nation early on this season and at one point had top-16 NCAA qualifying marks in three events: the 60, 200 and 400. She ultimately qualified in the 200.

Roberson's steady improvement since her freshman season started within herself. "I kind of just lose myself when I race," Roberson said. "Off the track, I'm probably not as competitive and daring, but I've always been a person to try and put my best foot forward and do my best. Honestly, I improved on myself. As I became a better person, things just started following along. I guess you could say I re-directed myself after my freshman year. I was disappointed on and off the track. I don't ever want to feel that way ever again. I just told my mom about it and made a change. With all the coaches and all the support team, we found a way to make it happen."

Tammie remembers the early days well. "It was amazing," she said. "Daye Shon went from crying when she called me, to acting all excited when things had gotten better."

Roberson is primarily driven by the finish line.

"There's one thing I know Daye Shon does not like," Harrison said, "and it's that thing called 'second place.' "