By RYAN WALKER
Taylor University gained yet another Norwell Knight to its 2023 recruiting class. This time, it was Jake Parker’s turn, inking the next four years off to the track and field team Wednesday afternoon.
Parker joins football signees Luke Graft and Kyle Zeddis to Taylor this fall, but the Trojan purple runs within Parker a little closer than just his friends.
His father, David Parker, ran hurdles for Taylor when he was in school. Jake will follow the same path and also be a hurdler.
“Both of my parents went there, so it’s just kind of always been in my blood — my aunts and uncles went there,” Jake Parker said. “I went down there to visit, and everything just kind of clicked for me. The coaches, the teammates, the track program, the school itself, I just like every aspect of it. Perfect fit.”
The track season has just begun for Norwell, recently placing 14th of 26 schools at the Bulldog Invitational at Purdue Fort Wayne’s indoor track facility. Last season, the team sent two to the state finals; Parker placed 20th in the 110-meter hurdles and Winston Frauhiger 21st in the high jump. The goal this year is to make it further in both hurdle events.
“I’m hoping I’ll be able to place in both 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles down at states,” Parker said. “That’s definitely a big goal for me, and I think I can do it with some good push in myself like that, work hard, and I think it’ll happen, hopefully.”
The Taylor track and field team has been quite successful in recent memory. Last season, the Trojans placed 15th of 77 teams in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
The team also competes in the Crossroads League, one of the best track and field conferences in the NAIA. Taylor, Grace, and Indiana Wesleyan placed in the top-15 in the championship meet. Bethel, Huntington, Mount Vernon Nazarene, and Marian also made the trip down to Gulf Shores.
Along with Parker’s parents, other family members, and friends, Taylor head coach Derek Gay, who works with mainly sprinters and hurdlers, and Norwell head coach Adam Prater were in attendance. Prater has been a mentor for Parker, and it meant a lot to the senior to have him for his big moment.
“Awesome. (He’s) just pushed me and helped me to get to where I am today, so it’s been really cool. He’s gotten me to where I am today. I really appreciate him coming up for sure,” he said.
sports@news-banner.com
