Nowhere is Deajah Stevens sudden rise to stardom more apparent than in the increased popularity of her Instagram account. <\/p>\n
Last year at this time she had 700 followers. Today she has more than 34,000. <\/p>\n
Fame, it seems, has caught up to the Oregon junior. <\/p>\n
On the track, however, only a few of her competitors have had the same luck. <\/p>\n
After quietly arriving at Oregon 18 months ago and slogging through the early months of her transition to big-time collegiate track, Stevens went from an intriguing prospect at the start of the 2016 outdoor season to a world-class sprinter by summers end. <\/p>\n
And that was just the beginning. <\/p>\n
Its been a pretty amazing ascent to this point, Oregon associate head coach Curtis Taylor said. <\/p>\n
After not winning an individual conference or national title last season, Stevens surprised many including herself with a second-place finish in the womens 200 meters at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in July, nearly catching Tori Bowie at the line for the title. She then made the Olympic final and finished seventh at the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. <\/p>\n
Stevens carried that momentum into this season, and the results have been impressive. <\/p>\n
She won Pac-12 titles in the 100 and 200 last month and goes into the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship meet this week at Hayward Field as the form-chart favorite in both races. <\/p>\n
Stevens owns the fourth-fastest times in the world this season at each distance, having run 11 seconds in the 100 this season and 22.09 in the 200. Both times are personal bests, and her 200 time is also an Oregon school record. <\/p>\n
Im a way stronger version of myself than I was last year at this time, Stevens said. <\/p>\n
And much more popular too. <\/p>\n
Born to run <\/p>\n
Memorial Field in Mount Vernon, N.Y., is undergoing a rebirth after years of neglect forced its closure. <\/p>\n
The crumbling brick stadium once hosted concerts by James Brown and the Jackson 5, as well as several decades worth of high school and semi-pro sporting events for teams throughout Westchester County. <\/p>\n
Its also where Stevens learned to run as a youngster growing up in the suburb just north of the Bronx. <\/p>\n
To hide the blight of the decaying stadium as it awaits renovation, the city recently built a wall that doubles as a mural dedicated to Mount Vernon Legends. First on the list of honorees was Stevens, who is pictured running in her Olympic uniform with an American flag waving behind her. <\/p>\n
Its so nice, Stevens gushed. When my friends drive by it back home they send me pictures of it. Its really funny. <\/p>\n
Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas dedicated the mural in January by declaring Stevens, a girl who knew she could run, but did not know how far she could go until she set foot on the track here at Memorial Field. When she discovered her potential she ran all the way from Mount Vernon to Rio. <\/p>\n
It wasnt the first time her hometown had honored Stevens. <\/p>\n
In September, just a few weeks after her return from Rio, Stevens was treated to a parade through the streets of Mount Vernon, riding in a car with her mom, sister and the mayor. <\/p>\n
If Stevens didnt comprehend before how popular she had become since making the Olympic team, she quickly learned that weekend. <\/p>\n
Ive gotten so much love from people on social media and from people here in Oregon, but when I got home, it was really shocking to me how much people were supportive and happy for me, Stevens said. Just meeting adults and kids and people my own age who were like, Oh my God, its you! Its still uncomfortable to me, but Im getting better. <\/p>\n
Mount Vernon is also where Stevens spent her first year out of high school. <\/p>\n
Denied entry into South Carolina her first school of choice after it was discovered she was one credit short, Stevens sat out a year before enrolling at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, Calif. <\/p>\n
She went on to become the California junior college champion in the 200 and 400 in 2015. One year later, she was at Oregon, joining a womens sprint team that included 2015 World Outdoor Championships qualifier Jasmine Todd, future 2016 Olympian and two-time NCAA champion Ariana Washington, and Hannah Cunliffe, who would sweep the Pac-12 100 and 200 later that season. <\/p>\n
We knew she was talented, the extent of which I dont think we really knew until we started doing speed testing on her, Taylor said. We found out she has very high levels of speed and power, and if we did it right we could kind of convert all those qualities into a really good sprinter. <\/p>\n
Flashes of brilliance <\/p>\n
Stevens showed flashes toward the end of the collegiate season last year, finishing second in the 200 and third in the 100 at the Pac-12 Championship meet in Seattle. She was second in the 200 at the NCAA meet as well, behind Washington. <\/p>\n
Then came the Olympic Trials. <\/p>\n
Stevens entered the final as a longshot in a race that also included Bowie, Allyson Felix and Jenna Prandini. <\/p>\n
Theyre peers to me now, but its funny, when I went into the Trials I was so nervous and I felt so young, Stevens said. It was just super crazy to me. Allyson Felix to this day is someone who is so inspiring to me but now shes also a competitor to me, and thats crazy. Thats mind blowing. <\/p>\n
It flipped when I made the finals. It dawned on me that I have to stop looking at it like, I guess, starstruck. I had to snap out of it quick. <\/p>\n
Bowie led the whole race but it was Stevens who was hot on her trail after coming off the curve. She ran the last 10 meters with a look of disbelief on her face as Prandini was forced to edge out Felix in a photo-finish for third. <\/p>\n
While Stevens has said she stunned herself by making the Olympic team the original goal had been Tokyo 2020 her coach could see it coming. <\/p>\n
Surprised probably isnt the word, Taylor said. A lot of these kids out here have the ability, its just a matter of if theyre going to put it together or not. So whenever they do really well, youre not surprised because you know they have the capability in them. Its just exciting to see them start to realize what their capabilities are. <\/p>\n
Sustaining success is a different challenge, and one Stevens took seriously coming into the 2017 season. Now its time for the payoff. <\/p>\n
The NCAA meet wont come without its challenges. LSU junior Aleia Hobbs is the NCAA leader in the 100 at 10.85 and UNLV junior Destiny Smith-Barnett has recorded a wind-aided 10.97. Washington, the defending national champ, is also among the collegiate leaders at 11.06. <\/p>\n
In the 200, Stevens is the NCAA leader and also a contender to qualify for the 2017 World Outdoor Championships in London during the U.S. Track & Field Championships in Sacramento later this month. <\/p>\n
Im not going to worry about USAs while Im at nationals because those are just two different meets, Stevens said. Im trying to get through nationals healthy and Im trying to train up until USAs. <\/p>\n
Theres also another decision looming for Stevens, who will have every chance to turn pro and forgo her senior season at Oregon. <\/p>\n
Im going to finish and keep my mind clear through nationals, she said. I need to stay in this space for now and Im trying not to think about it. I really have to talk to Curtis after nationals and see what my best options are. Im not completely opposed to coming back to school, and Im not completely opposed to going pro. I just dont know. <\/p>\n
Whatever decision Stevens makes, history suggests more fame will follow. <\/p>\n
Follow Chris on Twitter @chansen_RG . <\/p>\n
More Oregon Track & Field articles <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
More:<\/p>\n
Oregon Ducks' Deajah Stevens makes a fast ascension in American ... - The Register-Guard<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nowhere is Deajah Stevens sudden rise to stardom more apparent than in the increased popularity of her Instagram account. Last year at this time she had 700 followers. Continue reading