Jake Todden aims for success at Nike U20 Championships

STOCKTON, Calif. — Few freshmen in the country can claim three NorCal titles and two school records — but Jake Todden isn’t like most freshmen.

“I feel like I’m coming in as the underdog,” said Todden.

He may feel like an underdog, but his resume says otherwise. Todden is just wrapping up his freshman year at Delta College in Stockton, and he’s the only person on the track and field team who qualified for the Nike Under 20 USA Track and Field Championships, which takes place in Eugene Oregon.

“I’m really excited for the opportunity,” Todden said. “Put all the hard work in and then come out and compete.” 

Todden recently dominated at the NorCal Championships, coming in first in the shot-put, discus and hammer throw. Now, he turns his attention to the national championships.

“Anything can happen,” Todden said. “When you go into these championships, you just hope for the best. You hope the training efforts have paid off through the weeks, the months, the years. To go there and put it all on stage in front of everybody is pretty cool.”

Luckily for Jake, he’s trained by one of the best, Coach Tim Fua.

“When Jake came in this last year, we’d been training all year,” Fua said. “And this was one of the goals to move on past qualifying for the under 20s at the USAs, so this is a big deal. We’re pretty excited. He’s doing well.”

Todden is originally from Jackson, where he attended Argonaut High School, and now, he’s looking forward to representing Stockton on the big stage.

“You know coming from a small town to a city like Stockton, a lot more pressure,” Todden said. “But I think I can do it.” 

So what is Jake’s secret to throwing the farthest?

“Bang Energy,” said Todden. “I took one sip of it and threw a huge PR, 58 feet. One sip and I’m going.” 

Off the field, Jake holds a 3.6 GPA and is currently being recruited by several major programs including Cal and UCLA. He takes off for the championships in a couple of weeks.

There is also a GoFundMe page to support Jake’s efforts to go to the track and field championships in Eugene, Oregon.