MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer
When Hanna senior high jumper Natalie Arnold readies for her first official jump of the 2019 track and field season, she will do so knowing her future as a Division I athlete is all set.
Surrounded by coaches and parents, Arnold inked her national letter of intent to jump for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in a ceremony Wednesday afternoon at Hanna High School.
“This day has had such a big impact on my life,” the Hanna senior said. “It’s a stress reliever knowing what college I’m going to go to. I honestly feel just ecstatic about everything. I want to thank my coaches and my parents, who supported me in everything that I do; I wouldn’t be here without them.”
The decision to attend Little Rock was not an easy one for Arnold, who had options when it came to furthering her athletic career.
Her decision would ultimately come down to more than athletics.
“I had universities interested in me out of state also, but my mom and I toured the University of Arkansas,” Arnold said. “We met with the coaches and the faculty there. The nursing program was ultimately the big decision in choosing this university. I intend to obtain my bachelor’s of science and nursing. After meeting with the coaches and the athletes and everything, I honestly felt comfortable with the university itself and everything that it offered.”
This season will be Arnold’s fourth season at the varsity level and she will be looking to improve on a solid junior year in which she captured three bronze medals and a gold medal before finishing fifth at the District 32-6A meet.
Over that time, Hanna head track and field coach Olaya Teran said that Arnold’s intense focus is something that stood out while on the team.”
“She is a really shy person, but is also really intense,” Teran said “She’s always focused when jumping and sometimes I didn’t even want to talk to her because she was upset because she didn’t make a jump. She didn’t like to talk to anyone and was always real focused. I was like that as a runner so I understood where she was coming from. She’s improved so much from where she started and we just want to see her exceed her personal best.”
Arnold, whose personal best jump was 5 feet last year’s Sams Relays, will join the Little Rock Trojan track and field team, which competes in the Sun Belt Conference and is coming off a 10th place finish at last year’s outdoor conference meet.
The Hanna high jumper said her first goal will be to break her personal mark.
“I’m hoping to hit anywhere form 5-2 to 5-4,” Arnold said. “And with the help of the coaches and the strength and condition there, I hope to exceed a 5-4.”
Teran hopes she, along with jumping coach Fermin Lucio and the rest of the Hanna staff can take Arnold past her PR this season.
“Hopefully we can do better than that,” Teran said. “She’s doing strength training with us right now, so hopefully she does better this season and exceeds her PR.”