ARLINGTON, TEXAS – Senior thrower Hayden Wilson, a Mansfield, Texas native and UA Little Rock transfer now in his third year at UT Arlington, has already left a mark on the WAC with four championship titles.
Before he begins his final title run, UTAMavs.com sat down with the former Lake Ridge HS track and football standout:
What’s your go-to hype song before a meet?
“This is actually a really funny song. Last year, it was Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind and Fire,” Wilson said laughing. “It’s just one of those comfort songs.”
Dream city to compete in?
“It’d be TrackTown USA, Oregon. I’ve competed there for high school nationals. Hopefully, we’ll make another trip there this year.”
Favorite athlete or thrower you look up to?
“I think as far as throwing goes, I’ve been a really big fan of Ryan Crouser for a long time, but that’s always easy to say cause he’s the best.”
If you could give “freshman Hayden” one piece of advice, what would it be?
“Your value is not in your sport,” Wilson said confidently. “It’s a hard lesson to learn. I’m still chewing on it.”
After a quick round of fun questions to break the ice, we shifted gears and dove deeper into how he envisions his senior season and what he hopes to take away from it.
Wilson arrived at UTA after spending his freshman year at Little Rock, and he made an immediate impact. As a sophomore, he captured the 2024 WAC Indoor shot-put title, then returned in 2025 to successfully defend his crown. During his junior year, his dominance carried into the outdoor season where he claimed first in both the shot put and discus at the 2025 WAC Outdoor Championships.
How do you feel heading into WAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships as the reigning shot put champion, and what does it mean to you to have the chance to defend those titles in your final year?
“First, I’m super excited about the training group we had this year,” Wilson started, “We had a bunch of great athletes we brought in. We brought in a bunch of great talent this year.”
“For me, personally, I won indoor my sophomore year and then tanked outdoor, so going into my junior year, I had to release myself of the expectations to perform and just go out there, week after week, show up and give the best that I can give on the day. Taking that approach kind of sets you up to not be disappointed when you’re a little down but then also you really get to enjoy the fruits of your labor.”
“Taking that approach of just taking each day as it comes like I said we’re hoping to make a trip to nationals this year. We made it to Regionals last year so just being process-oriented over goal-oriented.”
How has your mindset changed from freshman to senior year?
“The biggest change has been trusting my training. You know, it’s really easy to go out there and just put too much pressure on yourself to perform and get a little over-excited. I think having that consistency like “this is exactly what I do in practice. There’s just a little bit more adrenaline flowing right now,” and then going out there and competing.”
As a senior, how do you try to lead or set an example for the younger athletes on the team?
“I think the biggest thing for me is being open and honest. Like I don’t try to hide my struggles,” he said, “Because I think it’s important for them to know there’s gonna be times when you’re down and there’s gonna be times when you’re up, but all that matters is that you go out and give 100% on the day and you can’t expect any more of yourself…You can’t hold the losses against yourself. You gotta celebrate your wins, too.”
UTAMavs.com also sat with Wilson’s coach, John Ridgeway, to discuss Hayden’s growth as a Maverick and the strides he’s made throughout his career.
From your perspective, how has Hayden developed in his time at UTA, from previously being at Little Rock?
“I think his development has been great! I think Hayden had an excellent coach at Little Rock and I was confident that he was going to have a good base of information before he came here,” said Ridgeway, “The key to his success is that he has taken his success into his own hands. He doesn’t just do what I ask. He comes to my office and asks questions all the time. The longer he’s been here, he asks better and better questions, and his development has been a blast to watch.”
As he chases a couple more WAC titles before he’s done collegiately, what have you seen in his mindset or training that shows he’s ready?
“He worked his tail off all summer. To me, his investment has been unwavering for me. He has had the same level of investment this year that he has had previously, and I always tell the kids, “It’s not if, it’s when,” Coach Ridgeway emphasized, “for him “when” happened right away as he won his first indoor championship and I don’t think he’s done anything different. I think he’s done an incredible job of staying the course he’s been on. He’s been unwavering and his focus remains strong.”
In his three years at UTA, how would you describe Hayden’s impact on the throws group and the program as a whole?
“I think it’s been incredible. We had a good throws culture before he came. He and Desmond Fraizer [graduated last year] came over from Little Rock together” Coach Ridgeway initiated, “I think the two of them in different ways helped take our throws culture to the next level. As much as anything, he is a student of the sport…Hayden has empowered some of his teammates to take ownership of their throw and continue learning about our sport beyond practice. Also, the thing about him, he’s very selfless, he’s very humble, so having this multiple-time conference champion be very quick to serve his teammates. I cannot understate the impact his example has made on the group.”
What are you looking forward to during his last season?
“Every year brings unforeseen challenges. I’m just excited to be side-by-side with him while he faces whatever that is,” said Ridgeway, “So for me, I’m excited to see him get a good opening work in his first meet and then the goal obviously is to defend his championships and try to qualify for postseason. I’m just excited to watch him write the final chapter of his story. I think he’s gonna have a great year and I’m excited to watch him do it.”
NEXT UP
The Mavericks will kick off the indoor season on Friday, January 16 at the Robert Platt Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., hosted by University of Arkansas.
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