By Kyle Merber
February 28, 2024
New Balance Nationals Indoor returns to Boston from March 7 – March 10, bringing the best high school athletes to the TRACK at New Balance and the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center for some incredible competition. Among the sports rising stars slated to compete is Adaejah Hodge of Montverde Academy, who will be returning to defend her 200m title.
We are just over a week away from New Balance Nationals. How is training going in the lead up? And do you know what events you’ll be competing in yet? How did you decide on those events?
Training has been going great so far! To see the final touches of what we have been working on start to add up has been great. I’ve decided to run the 200m and the 60m. I chose the 200m because it has always been my favorite event and I chose the 60m because I wanted to see if I could do something special.
At last year’s event, you broke the high school national 200m record, running 22.33. How big of a surprise was that time when you first crossed the finish line?
It was a huge surprise because my first time ever running 22 seconds was literally the day before, so it was crazy that I was able to do it again and get an even better time.
How was your experience competing at the World Championships for the British Virgin Islands as a high schooler? What lessons did you learn from your time in Budapest?
My experience competing at the World Championships was amazing, just being in my lane and hearing the roaring of the crowd was very emotional for me because it has been a dream of mine since I was five years old. I learned that if you want to play with the big dawgs you gotta let go of all your excuses and bring your A-game both mentally and physically.
How do you balance your goals during the regular season and your long-term goals for the Olympics later this summer?
My goal is to run to the best of my ability every time I step on the track. I am fortunate enough to have a coach who understands my goals and can guide me and help me balance those goals.
In the fall you announced that you’ll be attending the University of Georgia next year. What attracted you most to their program?
I chose the University of Georgia not only because the state of Georgia is my second home but because they really showed me that they are a family and very close knit team.
Final question: What did you think of the 2024 NBN backpack?
I actually love the bag. I wasn’t a huge fan of the white ones last year but they definitely redeemed themselves with the black backpacks.
Kyle Merber
After hanging up his spikes – but never his running shoes – Kyle pivoted to the media side of things, where he shares his enthusiasm, insights, and experiences with subscribers of The Lap Count newsletter, as well as viewers of CITIUS MAG live shows.
