JESSIEVILLE -- Holding the honor of being the only male athlete in Arkansas at any level to win four consecutive state cross country titles, Jessieville senior Noah Eskew will be moving to Oklahoma to continue his running career.
A week after winning his fourth cross country title, Eskew signed a national letter of intent to run both cross country and track for Oklahoma Baptist University Friday at Jessieville Sports Arena.
Eskew has two cousins that attended Oklahoma Baptist that helped draw his attention to the university, but it was more than a familial connection that continued to draw him to the school despite his other visits.
"There was a lot of things that we found at Oklahoma Baptist that, whenever we looked at other colleges, they seemed to be lacking," Eskew said. "It seemed like everywhere we went, we always got called back to Oklahoma Baptist. I kind of fell in love with the student life and the atmosphere there."
The 2017 Wendys High School Heisman winner is not only a top athlete in cross country, but he also holds state titles in both indoor and outdoor track. With 10 state track titles and over 22 individual district titles, Eskew is looking to add to his legacy this year in the upcoming track season.
"This is a big deal," said Jessieville cross country coach B.J. Parish. "A lot of hard work, dedication and sacrifice went into this over many years. It is no mistake that he is at this point in his career for all those sacrifices he has made."
In 2016, Eskew participated in the USA Track and Field Hershey Youth Indoor championships, setting a record in the 1500 meter run and finished second in the 3000 meter run.
The senior looks forward to the new level of competition he will face at Oklahoma Baptist, joining cross country team that is in the process of rebuilding and becoming more competitive in the Great American Conference.
"Their cross country and track team are both very good," Eskew said. "They're in a building process. They just transferred over to Division II. Their track team has been successful the last couple years, and their cross country team is really what they are building. With me and a couple other guys in this recruiting class, we're hoping to be top of the conference next year."
Sports on 11/11/2017