New Haven鈥檚 Ralph Hawkins goes from tragedy to greatness
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (BVM) — Overcomer, driven, and outstanding. Those are just a few words to describe the character and talents of James Hillhouse High School track star, Ralph 鈥淔lash鈥� Hawkins.
Hailing from Atlanta, Ga., the 5-foot-4 speedster found his love for track after he and his family moved to Connecticut.聽
鈥淒own south wasn鈥檛 cutting it for my mom,鈥� Hawkins said. 鈥淪he wanted a better life for us so we moved here.鈥澛�
It took a while for Hawkins to settle into his new environment. He recalls being somewhat of a 鈥榟yper kid鈥� during that time. Hawkins says that he needed an outlet and it was around that time when he met his first coach and mentor Darrell Brown. It was Coach Brown who trained the young track star up during his early years in the sport and set him on the path he鈥檚 currently on today.
However, the event that would cement Hawkins place in track and field took place in 2017, when his father passed away when he was just 14-years-old.聽聽
鈥淚 would say that I had to grow up faster,鈥� Hawkins said. 鈥淚 lost a father figure and I wasn鈥檛 going to look for another one. I wanted to become my own.鈥澛�
The loss of his father would become the source of the Hillhouse product鈥檚 success and the driving force behind his goals. Having that chip on his shoulder has paid dividends for Hawkins as he went on to become one of the fastest freshmen in the nation, winning four titles with Hillhouse High in the 300-meter, 55-meter, 200-meter, and the 4×400-meter relay event.聽
At the recently concluded state opens, Hawkins ran a 49.96 time in the 400-meters and a 22.3 time in the 200-meter. His time at the 200-meter is just 3.11 seconds slower than the world record of 19.19 seconds set by nine-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt in 2009.聽
Class L Boys 300 Meter Dash Champion:
Ralphael Hawkins (Hillhouse), 36.33
— Will Aldam (@AldamWill)
The Georgia native鈥檚 work has garnered him attention from collegiate programs such as Michigan and Navy. However, Hawkins has a particular 鈥榣ove鈥� for North Carolina A&T because of his adoration for its 400-meter program.聽
鈥淚 think if I have to run the 400 that鈥檚 a school I鈥檒l run it for,鈥� Hawkins said when referring to North Carolina A&T.聽
Hawkins also expressed interest in other colleges such as Louisville, Miami, the University of Georgia, Virginia Tech, and Oregon State.聽
Overall, Hawkins wants track and field to give him the ability to help his family 鈥榞ain a better life.鈥� He dreams to one day go pro and participate in the Olympics but if that doesn’t work, he wants to be a forensic scientist. He admires the running style of Team USA sprinter, Christian Coleman.
Hawkins will be back in action again at the Nike Nationals at Hayward Field in Oregon on June 28.