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Ennis-London inducted into Abilene Hall of Fame

They are possibly two of the greatest athletes in Abilene Christian women’s track and field history, an idea that years ago would have been seemingly absurd to Delloreen Ennis-London and Tracey Barnes. The two shared a laugh thinking that growing up, they would have never imagined one day being among some of the university’s and world’s best athletes. “To me, it’s really a great title,” Barnes said. “I never ever, ever, ever in my wildest dreams imagined someone would say, ‘Tracey you’re great.’ “I didn’t think someone would look up at us, at me and say, ‘Well you’re one of the greatest.’ I’m really proud and I’m really happy ACU feels that we are and I really appreciate it.”

Barnes and Ennis-London were part of the 2009 class inducted into the ACU Sports Hall of Fame on Friday night at the Hunter Welcome Center on campus. Also inducted were former football standout Jim Reese, former golf coach Vince Jarrett, former athletics trainer Wes Speights and Dr. Jerry Strader, who was the 17th recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. The track duo knew each other well before attending ACU because they ran on the same team in high school in Jamaica. Through their connection with Hugh Scott, a Jamaican businessman who worked to provide opportunities for his country’s impoverished youth, they said they made contact with former Wildcats coach Wes Kittley, and began their journey to ACU. “I think Coach Kittley knew we wanted a chance to get out of our country,” Ennis-London said. “I think he knew we would excel and wanted us in the right place.”

They came to Abilene on the same plane, lived together, took many of the same classes and then left together, so it was only fitting they be inducted into the sports hall together. “It’s great,” Ennis-London said. “I would not want to share this moment with anyone else because Tracey and I have been through rough times. We’ve been through ups and downs. We came into this together. We left ACU together and now to come back and to be inducted together, you can’t get a better moment than this right now.”

Kittley, now the head track and field coach at Texas Tech University, is also proud of the two and attributes much of his personal success to them. “I feel like I’m at where I am today because of the success they brought to the program at ACU,” Kittley said. “I don’t think there will ever be another two girls like that. They are once in a lifetime.”

While at ACU, Ennis-London and Barnes played a major role in the Wildcats’ seven national championships (indoor and outdoor) from 1996-99. In her career at ACU, Barnes won 14 individual national championships, including 10 national championships outdoors, more than any other athlete in ACU track and field history regardless of gender. However, Barnes said she never kept count of the titles or focused on the numbers going into a race. “I didn’t know (how many titles she had),” Barnes said. Every time, we just went out there and competed. We didn’t even think about it. “We just went out there and said, ‘Today, we’re going to do our best, we’re going to win.’ We never kept count.” Barnes still holds the NCAA Division II mark in the 400 meters with her time of 50.67 posted in 1998. “I really appreciated the people that we associated ourselves with at ACU,” Barnes said. “Some days you may feel low like you can’t do it, but guess what, they are there looking up at you and you know they want you to do well, so you have to go out there and do your best because of them.”

Ennis-London is the only female athlete in NCAA history to win eight hurdles races at national championships. She still holds the NCAA Division II all-time best in the 100-meter hurdles with her time of 12.71 seconds. “ACU was a starting stone for me,” Ennis-London said. “Coming to ACU in 1995, there was a lot of opportunity offered to myself, as well as Tracey Barnes, coming from a small country. It granted the opportunity to be the only ones out of our families to go to college.” Ennis-London and Barnes were both named to the NCAA Division II women’s track and field Silver Anniversary Team as selected by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association in 2006. After leaving ACU, Ennis-London continued to run professionally and has been one of the world’s top hurdlers, making three Jamaican Olympic teams and winning three medals at IAAF World Championships. She finished fourth in the 100-meter hurdles final at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. “The first one, of course, is always something special because that’s my first Olympics ever,” Ennis-London said. “I still treasure that moment up to today because that was my first one and I got fourth. “For me, in the Olympics, getting fourth is an accomplishment because it wasn’t a distant fourth. It was taking a while to make sure they put up the right person for that third spot.” Ennis-London is proud and thankful to have had the chance to represent her country on the world scene. In 2005, she finished second in the 100-meter hurdles final at the world championships. Ennis-London finished third in the final in 2007 and third again in 2009. “Also when I’m representing my country it goes down the line,” she said. “I’m representing myself, my family and ACU because this is where it starts for me.” During her career with Jamaican track and field, Ennis-London has had the opportunity to train with and get to know world-class sprinter Usain Bolt. Bolt, known for his entertaining antics on the track, holds the world record in the 100 and 200 meters. “He’s (Bolt) just a special talent,” Ennis-London said. “He’s very friendly. A lot of people see his antics and think that he’s a showoff, but he’s not. If you get to know him, you’ll know that he’s just a sweetheart. “He’s very humble, but I mean in the limelight and when he’s in his game, he’s got to perform the way he wants to. He’s been acting a role model for younger kids and even for myself. We train together. I’m happy when I’m around Bolt.”

Despite the miles that now separate them, Ennis-London and Barnes have been able to maintain a bond. They speak on the phone on a regular basis and keep up with each other’s lives. This bond is something that Ennis-London believes helps keeps her going during the hard times. “Whenever the (professional) season finishes, and I come back, she’ll (Barnes) call to tell me good job just to keep me motivated,” Ennis-London said. “To hear that from my college teammate and to know that we keep that bond going, I really appreciate her when she calls and really supports me and I think that keeps pulling me along.” Ennis-London continued a long, successful career post-ACU, but does not have any aspirations to run in London at the 2012 Olympics. Her plan, for now, is to hang up the spikes after next year and walk away from the sport.