University Southern California Trojans
Getting To Know Jacob Andrews
November 27, 2023 | Track & Field
This edition of "Getting To Know" features USC freshman sprinter Jacob Andrews. From sailing around the world to planting his roots in his new home here at USC, Andrews goes into detail about training at the collegiate level and the path he's forging to ensure his success.
Q: What's your transition been like from high school to college? Any challenges you've been facing?
J.A.: It's definitely been different. Different coaching style than what I had in high school with longer runs throughout practice. The longest workout I'd do in high school would be repeat 120s but now its 300 repeats. It's a big jump but I've been learning and adapting.
Q: What sparked your interest in track?
J.A.: I actually did soccer for a while and kind of got burnt out, so I switched over to track full-time and have been doing it ever since.
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Q: Did you think that at one point soccer was going to be the sport you played in college?
J.A.: My whole life. I never thought about it really, but then one day in middle school, right before I went to high school, the coach was asking us what our goals were. As I was thinking about it, I couldn't really see myself playing soccer in the future. I think it was just something that I loved at the time. That's when I noticed that I should make a change.
Q: Do you have a big soccer family?
J.A.: My stepdad is a really big soccer person, so he coached me when I was younger. That's how I got into it.
Q: When you did start competing in track in high school and when did you realize, 'Wait, I'm good enough to compete at the collegiate level?'
J.A.: I didn't have a freshman season because of the pandemic, but I'd say during that time I just kind of knew if we were to have states, I would've won it as a freshman. Knowing that was eye-opening because I was doing good in middle school, but I assumed when I got to high school it'd be a different level. I'd say around sophomore year is when I really started thinking about college because that was my breakout year. I was ranked second for my class in the 400m, so I began reaching out to colleges and thinking about what I wanted to do for my future.
Q: You've had a lot of accomplishments within your high school career, so I'm wondering if since being here and being around such an intense winning culture within the track team, has your definition of success changed at all?
J.A.: I wouldn't say my definition of success has changed, but my standards. What I consider to be a good time running a rep during practice may not be as good as I think because my teammates are running faster. In my mind, it's not as good anymore and I've raised my standards for myself, more than I did in high school. Mainly because I have bigger things to compare myself to now.
Q: What would you say are your sources of inspiration that keep you motivated?
J.A.: Getting back to the feeling of being on top. Always having something to strive for is helpful.
Q: It's not every day I meet someone who was born in Alaska, so I'm curious, how long did you live there?
J.A.: I want to say around three years. We were in Alaska and then moved to Washington for a little bit and then moved to the Virgin Islands and lived there until I was around five or six. Soon after that, my mom, brother and I moved to Bellingham (Wash.) where we met my stepdad. In third grade, they took me out of school, left their jobs and we sailed from Seattle to New Zealand over the course of 2-2 1/2 years. We lived in a ton of different places.
Q: Did you guys spend a lot of time in New Zealand once you got there?
J.A.: We were there for about three months after two years of sailing. We sailed from Tonga and then flew to New Zealand and rented an RV for those three months.
Q: Do you have any specific memories that stand out from that trip?
J.A.: I honestly think there's too many. I've pretty much lived everywhere so I can pick.
Q: Outside of that experience, you've spent the majority of your life in Washington, so what are some of the biggest differences between LA and your home state?
J.A.: Honestly the lifestyle, food and athletics. When it comes to athletics, specifically track, it's not really a thing where I'm from. My club had around 10-15 people and it's all the people from where I live. Track is definitely way more popular around here than where I'm from, which is nice to be surrounded by people who want to watch track or know things about it. The weather is obviously a major difference. Not having to have a sweatshirt all the time has been a nice adjustment.
Q: Is there anything that you've been looking forward to doing since being here?
J.A.: I'd be interested in spending more time at the beaches. We went to the beach the other day, but it was for practice, so I'd like to just have time to chill and just experience it.
Q: Has it been challenging to find time for yourself to do things like that?
J.A: It's definitely hard to balance everything. Being a student-athlete can be glorified a bit sometimes. I think people forget that you're a full-time student and a full-time athlete and everything isn't handed to you. You really do have to work for everything.
Q: How do you keep a good mentality through all of it?
J.A.: I have to remember I'm still learning and I need to realize that I can't just put off homework until night time. When I have free time, I should be doing my homework during that free time. It's still something I'm working on and am still learning strategies to help myself out.
Q: What's your transition been like from high school to college? Any challenges you've been facing?
J.A.: It's definitely been different. Different coaching style than what I had in high school with longer runs throughout practice. The longest workout I'd do in high school would be repeat 120s but now its 300 repeats. It's a big jump but I've been learning and adapting.
Q: What sparked your interest in track?
J.A.: I actually did soccer for a while and kind of got burnt out, so I switched over to track full-time and have been doing it ever since.
.
Q: Did you think that at one point soccer was going to be the sport you played in college?
J.A.: My whole life. I never thought about it really, but then one day in middle school, right before I went to high school, the coach was asking us what our goals were. As I was thinking about it, I couldn't really see myself playing soccer in the future. I think it was just something that I loved at the time. That's when I noticed that I should make a change.
Q: Do you have a big soccer family?
J.A.: My stepdad is a really big soccer person, so he coached me when I was younger. That's how I got into it.
Q: When you did start competing in track in high school and when did you realize, 'Wait, I'm good enough to compete at the collegiate level?'
J.A.: I didn't have a freshman season because of the pandemic, but I'd say during that time I just kind of knew if we were to have states, I would've won it as a freshman. Knowing that was eye-opening because I was doing good in middle school, but I assumed when I got to high school it'd be a different level. I'd say around sophomore year is when I really started thinking about college because that was my breakout year. I was ranked second for my class in the 400m, so I began reaching out to colleges and thinking about what I wanted to do for my future.
Q: You've had a lot of accomplishments within your high school career, so I'm wondering if since being here and being around such an intense winning culture within the track team, has your definition of success changed at all?
J.A.: I wouldn't say my definition of success has changed, but my standards. What I consider to be a good time running a rep during practice may not be as good as I think because my teammates are running faster. In my mind, it's not as good anymore and I've raised my standards for myself, more than I did in high school. Mainly because I have bigger things to compare myself to now.
Q: What would you say are your sources of inspiration that keep you motivated?
J.A.: Getting back to the feeling of being on top. Always having something to strive for is helpful.
Q: It's not every day I meet someone who was born in Alaska, so I'm curious, how long did you live there?
J.A.: I want to say around three years. We were in Alaska and then moved to Washington for a little bit and then moved to the Virgin Islands and lived there until I was around five or six. Soon after that, my mom, brother and I moved to Bellingham (Wash.) where we met my stepdad. In third grade, they took me out of school, left their jobs and we sailed from Seattle to New Zealand over the course of 2-2 1/2 years. We lived in a ton of different places.
Q: Did you guys spend a lot of time in New Zealand once you got there?
J.A.: We were there for about three months after two years of sailing. We sailed from Tonga and then flew to New Zealand and rented an RV for those three months.
Q: Do you have any specific memories that stand out from that trip?
J.A.: I honestly think there's too many. I've pretty much lived everywhere so I can pick.
Q: Outside of that experience, you've spent the majority of your life in Washington, so what are some of the biggest differences between LA and your home state?
J.A.: Honestly the lifestyle, food and athletics. When it comes to athletics, specifically track, it's not really a thing where I'm from. My club had around 10-15 people and it's all the people from where I live. Track is definitely way more popular around here than where I'm from, which is nice to be surrounded by people who want to watch track or know things about it. The weather is obviously a major difference. Not having to have a sweatshirt all the time has been a nice adjustment.
Q: Is there anything that you've been looking forward to doing since being here?
J.A.: I'd be interested in spending more time at the beaches. We went to the beach the other day, but it was for practice, so I'd like to just have time to chill and just experience it.
Q: Has it been challenging to find time for yourself to do things like that?
J.A: It's definitely hard to balance everything. Being a student-athlete can be glorified a bit sometimes. I think people forget that you're a full-time student and a full-time athlete and everything isn't handed to you. You really do have to work for everything.
Q: How do you keep a good mentality through all of it?
J.A.: I have to remember I'm still learning and I need to realize that I can't just put off homework until night time. When I have free time, I should be doing my homework during that free time. It's still something I'm working on and am still learning strategies to help myself out.
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