Senior John Adesola runs in the NCAA West Regionals on May 30, 2025, in College Station. | Juan DeLeon/UH Athletics
When Houston track and field lined up for the men’s 4×100-meter relay at NCAA West Regionals, senior John Adesola wasn’t supposed to be there.
But there he was. Adesola was asked to step in and run a leg of the relay he hadn’t competed in all season, a decision made just two days before the event, after sophomore Cayden Broadnax and freshman Germain Smith-Mata suffered injuries.
The sprinter and hurdler had experience in the relay, running the second leg last year, but this season, when he competed, he was an anchor.
With no time to rehearse handoffs in the updated order, Adesola and the other fill-in freshman Noah Hanson, had to rely on instinct and trust as they ran alongside freshman Brice Chabot and Ryan Mulholland.
“It was new to me this year,” Adesola said. “Obviously, we hadn’t done any handoff practice in that order the whole year, but it was a good experience.”
The relay squad narrowly missed qualifying, finishing with a time of 39.48 seconds, putting them 13th overall, but for Adesola, the day was far from over.
Immediately after the relay, he competed in the 110-meter hurdles. Despite the fatigue and the mental toll of jumping between events, he clocked a personal record of 13.26 and earned his spot at nationals.
Still riding the high of qualifying in the hurdles, Adesola had little time to celebrate before lining up for the 100-meter dash. Again, he was one spot shy of qualifying with a 10.09.
“I feel great. I’m blessed,” Adesola said. “Came out with two PRs and punched a ticket to Eugene. That’s what I came here for.”
It was a grueling day, but Adesola kept his composure.
“At that point, it’s more of a mental thing, just keeping yourself calm and trusting that you can go and execute,” he said. “I had a lot of adrenaline pumping at the time, I just needed to calm myself down, not let my nerves get the best of me.”
He didn’t, and now, he’s bound for the national stage.
