Cookeville High School graduate Jude Dukes finalized the future of both his athletic and academic careers back on May 23 as he signed a national letter of intent to compete in track and field events for King University amongst his friends, family and coaches at CHS.
“This is really exciting, and I feel great about going to the next chapter in my life,” Dukes said. “The reasons I decided to go with King University are that it’s in state and close to home, I’m a big family guy and I’ll be close to friends in Knoxville. I also love the coaches, the facilities and the school overall. I’m an exercise science major, and they have a really nice program with a great building. They just built a new track, and this will be their first season running meets on it. I went on a visit, and they were super welcoming. It seemed like they really wanted me, and I’m not just another recruit to them.
“I want to compete at the next level to prove to myself and everyone else that I can, and I’m super excited for this challenge. I don’t want to go in and be the best. I want competition, and I want to get beat because it will show me that I’m not as good as I think I am. It will humble me a little bit and prove to me that I have to work hard for everything. It will push me to my limits and turn me into the best version of myself.
“I’m going to miss everything about competing here. The environment is awesome between the coaching staff, my friends and my family. I’ve lived here my whole life, and you can’t forget things like that. Looking forward to King University, I’m just hoping that I can build a connection with my coaches and my teammates to have another family like I do here.”
KU is a Presbyterian-affiliated private university in Bristol, TN, and the King Tornado compete in the Conference Carolinas within the NCAA’s Division II. The program competed in 13 different events during the 2024-25 season, including the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, and it concluded with a 9th place finish out of 14 teams at the Conference Carolinas Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
“Jude has been an outstanding athlete for our program,” CHS head coach Scott Cook said. “His work ethic is going to be hard to match. He trains constantly all year long, and he’s always ready to compete. He competes as hard as he can, and he always wants to win. We’re going to miss him, but I’m excited to see what he can do at the next level.
“I think he’s ready to step up to that next level, and I’m really excited to see what college weight training and coaching is going to do for him. I really think he’s just now tapping into what he’s truly capable of. I think he’s going to a great school in a great area, and I think the coaching staff is excited to build something special. I think it’s going to be a great fit for him.”