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03/26/2024 11:10 AMMost recently, the East Haven track program saw one of its alumni in the field leap quite high in her collegiate career. Her efforts landed her the opportunity of a lifetime that many of her peers pine for but few can achieve.
After starting with track and field in 6th grade and it being her only sport growing up, the Yellowjackets’ former long jumper has continued her track career at Southern Connecticut State University. Kisha Francois, a junior, recently competed at the Division II National Championships in Kansas for the long jump and finished 18th overall with a jump of 17 feet and six inches.
“It was definitely a really good opportunity and experience for me,” says Kisha. “I did not jump as well as I wanted to, but just being there in general was so much fun. It was great seeing so many people from all across the country, and it was nice to be part of that group. Making it there was a great accomplishment, and it was nice to see all the talent on the same stage.”
Kisha notes that she had to play through the pain a little bit with a hamstring issue. Yet she made sure to not overthink it and treated her legs with the proper pre-competition attention and care. She explains that with the encouragement of her teammates back home, along with an ideal setting, she felt just right to perform.
“The week leading up to nationals, I had some hamstring problems and had a little pain. I was nervous because I was not sure if it would affect me, but I worked through it,” Kisha says. “The whole week I was there, I spent time icing and stretching my legs, and they felt really good at practice. I also got a lot of good luck texts from my teammates, and I was not as nervous as I thought I would be. They actually do it differently there and bring out all the athletes at the same time around 45 minutes before the start time. It was nice because I knew exactly where I would go for my event. I got the nerves out after my first jump and just knew I could do it.”
The trials and endurance rounds that entail training for the sport have unearthed a special bond between Kisha and her colleagues at SCSU. She also details that she clinched her berth to nationals at the last possible moment while making school history.
“The workouts for track are brutal, but I am close friends with so many of my teammates. We know it is a grind, but we are all getting through it together. We also have the same mentality of working hard to achieve success,” says Kisha. “I do love the feeling of seeing all my hard work pay off. It was actually a last chance meet that got me to nationals. I originally was not going to do it because of my hamstring. I also got the school record in that meet [19-6.75] for the long jump, and the support from my teammates has been great.”
While not posting her ideal performance on the big stage, Kisha harnesses that as a benefit to her, because it will drive her to do that much better next year. She is also quite driven in the medical field as a health care studies major who looks to continue her education after graduation.
“I definitely want to go back to nationals, do better, and become an All-American,” Kisha says. “After I finish up my major and graduate, I would like to go back to school towards being an ultrasound tech.”
East Haven track Head Coach Rusty Dunne is very familiar with Kisha’s work and additionally her genealogy within the sport. He explains that she has conquered so many tasks, both athletically and academically, and still has plenty of time to add to her resume.
“Kisha Francois is a dynamic athlete, a fabulous athlete. We've been blessed at EHHS with a number of national level, and even world level athletes in my 31 years as the coach of track. Kisha is a scholarship athlete; there are not a lot of athletes on scholarship, almost none,” says Dunne. “Kisha was on the national stage. If you looked at her competitors, she was the only woman representing the east coast of the United States. She was an outstanding student in high school, and nothing has changed. I had the great pleasure of coaching three of Kisha's siblings at EHHS. What a wonderful family! The best part for Kisha is she has three full seasons left at SCSU, which is a national level power in Division II Track & Field.”
With the Yellowjackets, Kisha was a four-time All-State athlete, claiming the long jump, 100, and 200 crowns for both the SCC and Class MM State Championships as a senior. Kisha’s bloodline made it her destiny to track when it came to her opening to the East Haven High School track family. As she felt a strong bond with Dunne, she additionally garnered great support in all avenues that paved the road to her now star-studded collegiate career.
“I felt like I was bound to do track because my older sisters did it and had strong ties with Coach Dunne,” says Kisha. “Through East Haven, they connected me with trainers that have really helped me do well. My coaches believed in me a lot and saw things in me that I did not see in myself. They helped carry me here to Southern and allowed me to be as good as they said I was.”