Reflections Magazine Issue #78 - Spring 2013 | Page 16

Athletics Feature

Duncan was definitely in control, but moving in a much better direction.
“Once I realized how serious it was, that both
of my parents were about to be out of my life, it
was a transformation,” she said. “That’s when my
attitude completely changed on life. I was more
dedicated. You take everything one step at a
time. You learn to appreciate things more.”
Her college coach, Kirk Richards, who entered the picture during Duncan’s senior year
at Morenci High School, calls her “an old soul.”
“She’s mature because of what she’s gone
through personally,” he said. “She didn’t let it
bring her down. Some people try to escape
that through addiction. Some try to escape it
through other means, burying themselves in
bad things. She learned from every bad experience, every hurtful experience.”

Jumping into Action
As an eighth-grader in Morenci, Mich.,
Duncan decided one day to try the high jump
as a “joke.”
“I thought me being the race I am (African
American), it would be funny to make a joke,”
she said. “I’m black so I have to be able to jump.
I jumped over the (high jump) bar and it was just
a freak of nature that I had form without knowing at all how to jump.”
But her natural talent was no joke, and by
her senior year, she was one of the best in the
state in her division.
Richards, whose specialty is coaching jumpers and pole vaulters, was introduced to Duncan
by Morenci’s track coach, and spent some time
with Richards training indoors in the SHU
Fieldhouse.
“The first time we met, I razzed her about
how good she was and how good she wanted
to be,” Richards said. “I’d razz her and she would
razz me.”
However, Duncan made it clear that Siena
Heights was not in her future college plans.
“I was dead set on (the University of ) Michigan,” she said. “No one could tell me otherwise.
I was going to Michigan because we had set up
a plan there.”

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Reflections Spring ’13

To prove his point, Richards sent a letter to
Duncan detailing exactly what Siena Heights
could do for her. Inside she discovered that
Richards had put together a financial aid package for Duncan to think about. She did, and her
plan soon changed.
“It covered more than what Michigan was
going to cover for financial aid,” she said. “It was
clear that (I was going to Siena Heights). This
was the place for me.”

A Siena Sensation

“I didn’t realize how much
Siena Heights affected me
until I actually enrolled
here . . . Siena is my home
away from home. I love it
here. There’s not a place
I’d rather be. I’m so happy
I got to go here.”
Duncan had it all worked out. She was going to Michigan to compete in track and work
on being a pediatric oncologist. Plus, one of her
brothers had attended Siena and she wanted to
do something different.
“He swore up and down he was going to recruit me,” she said of Richards. “I said, ‘No, you’re
not going to recruit me.’”
However, Richards wouldn’t take no for an
answer.
“I forecasted how far a positive, ambitious
and athletic person can go, and the sky is the
limit,” he said. “(I said) ‘We are going to give you
everything you need. … I think if you do this
right it will be a very, very affordable for you to
come (to Siena Heights). And I don’t know if another school is going to see that in you, but I do.
This isn’t a gamble for me. This is a wise choice.’”

Since arriving at Siena Heights, Duncan has
been a rising star. During her freshman year, she
competed for a national title in the high jump –
twice. She lost in a jump off during indoor
season to place second, and later in the season,
again finished in the runner-up spot at the outdoor nationals. Along the way, she shattered
SHU’s high jump record, setting a new mark of
5 feet, 10 inches at SHU’s inaugural Kleinow
Memorial Invitational.
That mark was also good enough to earn
a spot at the U.S. Junior Nationals at Indiana
University last summer. The only jumper from
an NAIA-level school at the 19-and-under meet,
Duncan finished tied for sixth place.
In February, she again just missed a NAIA
national title, finishing runner-up for the third
time in as many tries. She is again poised to
try for that elusive national title this May.
“It was definitely a good first learning experience of getting the title just literally taken from
you,” she said of her close calls at nationals. “Of
course you’re disappointed, but then you have to
be optimistic about it. I was second in the nation
as a freshman. … I wanted the title, but I’ll try
next year. And here we are.”
Richards sees her potential, and sometimes
has to refocus her energy and competitive drive.
“Every meet has to be a new record,” Richards said of Duncan’s jumping mindset. “You
have to pace yourself. Right now she’s in musclebuilding mode.”
“(Losing) doesn’t go over well with me,” said
Duncan, who dons her headphones and immerses herself in music to help cope. “No one
ever really sees how angry I get. … But you get
over it. You have to.”