By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports

This was it. The moment of truth was at hand for Luke Jackson.

All of the throws in the javelin competition at Wednesday’s NCAA East Regional in Bloomington, Ind., had been made. Except one – Luke Jackson of Duke University.

The Top 12 competitors would advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., and Jackson stood at No. 16.

But he still had that one last throw, in a series of six attempts in the competition. If he did it, no one could knock him out.

To make the scene even more dramatic, rain began to fall. Jackson, a Bossier City native, figured it might be a good idea to seek out Duke’s throwing coach, Angelo Posillico, for some advice.

“Only weak people let this bother them,” Posillico told Jackson.

“Once he said that, I just felt ready,” Jackson said. “I knew I could do it.”

And he did.

Jackson threw a personal-best 70.54 meters (231 feet, 5 inches) and placed eighth overall. The former two-time state champion at Loyola will be at the NCAA Championships in two weeks.

“I set it as a really broad goal at the beginning of the year,” said Jackson ,who is a redshirt sophomore. “I knew that if I did my best, I could make it.”

But injuries have slowed down his progress. Jackson has fought elbow pain throughout the year so he wasn’t sure qualifying for the national meet was in the cards.

“The competition was stacked (at the regional),” he said. “I knew I had to be at the top of my game to be able to even compete with all of those guys.”

To avoid a recurrence of the injury, Jackson did not throw much leading up to the regionals. “When I was warming up, I started feeling some tightness in my arm,” he said. “Coach got me to relax and get my mind right before I competed.”

His first two throws were in the 64-65 meter range – not nearly good enough to get in the Top 12 – but he noticed an interesting development in the competition. “Some of the guys who were supposed to throw really far didn’t and some of the others who I didn’t think could were throwing far,” he said. “I had seen a ton of great throws. I knew I had to put something together.”

Just like when a batter hits a long home run or shooter knows instantly when a 3-pointer is going in the basket, Jackson knew he had done something special when the javelin left his hand on that final throw.

“I knew it was far, I just didn’t know how far,” he said. “As soon as that number came up, it was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.”

Jackson had thrown 70 meters twice during the season but “I didn’t think I would at this competition,” he said. “I thought maybe I’d throw 67 or 68 (meters). I just wanted to make it (to the national meet). That’s all that mattered to me.”

As he prepares to go to Eugene, Jackson said not much will change. “I’ll probably just go do the same things I have been doing to try to stay healthy,” he said. “Really not throwing at all because I know how to throw at this point in the season. I just want to make sure my arm is healthy.”

At Loyola, Jackson took the javelin because he liked the analytical approach. He studied all of the numbers involved and was technically very sound. “I’m way less like that now,” he said. “It’s more art to me now than science.”

He had a personal best of 65 meters (210 feet) in high school and went to Duke for the combination of academics (he was the 2019 Flyer of the Year at Loyola) and track opportunities.

“I wouldn’t have believed for a second that I would be here now,” Jackson said of qualifying for the NCAAs. “I’m super excited.”

Photo courtesy of Duke Athletics