By Hannah Hall — Staff Writer
Trading in football cleats and protective pads for a heavy, silver discus in between his hands is what freshman football player Jaime Navarro will be doing this spring.
Navarro will be one of few student-athletes at San Jose State to take on the task of tackling two Division I sports.
He will be competing for the SJSU men’s trackand field team as he will focus onthe shot put and discus.
The idea of juggling two sports is nothing new to Navarro. He attended Great Oak High School where he was a four-year varsity letter in football and track and field.
In his high-school career, Navarro reached great success in both sports, especially track and field where he thrived in the discus and shot put.
He finished 11th in the discus event with a 176-feet-11 mark and 14th in the shot put event at the 2018 California Interscholastic Federation championship meet.
His accolades also shine in football, where he was a two-time All-Southern League offensive line-man and was a first-team honoree as a senior and honorable mention pick.
The 6-foot-3, Southern California native made it clear to his peers that he was a natural-born athlete as he excelled in both sports.
He has been competing in track and field for six years where he began the sport in eighth grade.
He has since had a special place in his heart and a true passion for the sport as he was attracted to the individualism and competition of the sport.
With discus and shot put, he made it a point to put in the work to perfect his technique to ensure the highest level of success.
“I just kept striving to learn new technique and get better at it,” Navarro said. “And the more work I put in … I ended up as the CIF champ and a state contender.”
Navarro finished his first season as a freshman for the SJSU football team, where he made his collegiate debut Nov. 10 last season at right tackle.
After football season, he was presented with the opportunity to be a part of the new SJSU men’s track and field program.
“I was very skeptical about being a two-sport athlete in college because of the time-constraint and time spent in football,” Navarro said. “But I have the chance to set up a time schedule, be able to train and compete in track. I figured I would take the shot since I love the sport.”
Most student-athletes struggle to adjust to their sport as they venture through their first year in college.
However there are no doubts in people’s mind about whether Navarro can handle it or not.
Jaime’s sister Maria Paola Navarro knew that he would be able to handle anything that was thrown his way as he took on the challenge of two sports.
“Jaime has always played two sports … He likes to keep himself busy and always be on his feet,” Maria Paola said. “At first we [his family] thought it was a bit too much, but he proved us wrong and made it happen. They don’t call him Supermexx for nothing, he can conquer anything he puts his mind to.”
The strong mentality and attitude that Navarro possesses will play a critical role in his success as he enters the track and field competition season.
As his track and field coach at Great Oak, Ryan Garcia has been able to watch Navarro grow into an talented athlete with a mentality that allows him to accomplish anything.
“Jaime’s mentality has completely contributed to his success. His mentality is that he belongs. Jaime believes he should be successful, so he is,” Garcia said. “He sees life in general as something to be enjoyed.”
In his first season as an athlete for the track and field team, Navarro hopes to contribute to the new program. He feels happy that the men’s team is back after so many years.
Navarro brings the same focus, mentality and hard work to both of the sports he plays.
The only difference to his pregame ritual for track and field is that his luscious hair will be braided rather than hidden beneath a helmet.
“Now that I have my long hair grown out, I get my hair braided before meets,” Navarro said. “If the hair isn’t braided, I feel like something’s off.”
Navarro credits his parents as his biggest support system when he competes. When he doesn’t perform, his parents are always there to pick him up.
Overall, Navarro is hungry.
“I’m excited because this is my first time being a two sport athlete in college. I’m very interested to see how it will all span out with the men’s program being new,” Navarro said. “I’m ready to win some meets and compete.”
Follow Hannah on Twitter @hannah_halll