When UC Riverside track and field athlete Ted Hooper stepped onto the field for his sophomore season, nobody expected him to sweep the team off their collective feet.
With humble beginnings, running track and field at Arcadia High School, Hooper not only set the school record for the long jump, but also was named to the all-area first team, and competed in the CIF championship qualifier in the long jump in 2009.
Setting the UC Riverside school record, not once but twice this year by breaking his own top mark, it would behoove one to believe that Hooper’s specialty comes in the jumping department. At the Mountain T Invitational in February, Hooper’s 7.11-meter leap set an all-time UCR record. Just a week later at the Husky Classic, Hooper re-broke the record with a 7.19-meter jump.
Amongst other accolades, Hooper was awarded the “Big West Male Field Athlete of the Week” in April for his performances, including breaking a 40 year-old school record in the long jump at the Big West Championship meet.
One of the many who holds Hooper in high regard is track and field coach Nate Browne, who “expected Teddy to be at the top of the Big West since he won last year and knew that 25 feet in the long jump was within reach.”
According to Browne, Hooper’s best trait is “his consistency — every day he minds the little things that add up to great performance: work ethic, weight room, training room, academic performance — he just has it dialed in right now.”
Aside from fulfilling his passion as an athlete, Hooper is also working on a business administration degree at UC Riverside.
On the topic of professional teams, Hooper lists his favorite as the LA Lakers, and sees Roger Federer and Bryan Clay as his favorite athletes.
With a ticket to the NCAA Championship in hand, Ted Hooper is hoping to add to his already-remarkable resume as a track and field athlete. Gohighlanders.com has Ted Hooper’s most memorable sports achievement as qualifying for the CIF state championships in the long jump, but it is safe to assume that it would all change if Hooper turns in a huge performance on the biggest stage of his life.
It’s hard to believe that an athlete can achieve so much in such little time, but with a national championship coming up and two more years ahead of him, Ted Hooper has the potential to be one of UCR’s greatest.
