WS Chronicle

Terrell Robinson Jr. is one of the best high school sprinters in the country. He had his choice of elite universities to further his track and field career but when the dust settled, Robinson chose St. Augustine’s University.

Robinson has been a star at Mt. Tabor High School since he stepped foot on campus. Over the years, he has continued to get better at his sport, which has led to him breaking several school records. His AAU coach Bershawn “Batman” Jackson will also be his new collegiate head coach, so the familiarity there will bode well for Robinson as he moves up to the next level.

“My club coach Bershawn Jackson, also known as Batman, got the head coaching position there, so I have really been considering them since he came for a home visit to tell us what he had to offer us as far as academics, what I would get on campus, and the kind of training I would get.

“It was great when I took a visit to the school and one thing that set the school apart was that they loved me before I got there. As soon as I committed, I have been all over the website, I’ve been all over the news media and outlets, and I appreciate their support. There are not a lot of Division I schools that will support their kids before they get there. That was really big for me, just feeling welcome and feeling at home when I got there.”

Along with St. Aug., Robinson was also high on North Carolina A&T State University and the University of Texas. He was not set on a school but instead wanted to wait out the process to see what school stood out and St. Augustine’s was that school.

Robinson has been a phenom in the sport since his middle school days. He has been one of the elite sprinters the country has to offer, but never knew he would ascend to this level.

“I didn’t see it, but I knew I had the talent, probably since about ninth grade, to go Division I if I wanted to, but just seeing it all happen before my eyes, I didn’t expect anything like this to happen,” he said. “You can’t really expect that.”

Coming into high school, Robinson was one of the most talked about track and field athletes in the state and he did not disappoint. He performed very well as a freshman competing against athletes three years his senior. His sophomore year was derailed by COVID-19 and he admits to hitting a slump during his junior year. Robinson was determined to leave his mark during his senior year, and he put in the work during the offseason to make that happen.

“They all actually have something different to offer,” Robinson said about his various trainers. “Some have CrossFit backgrounds, some have speed and athletic development background, and I finally got with an Olympic hurdler who has run on the Olympic level. They all have something to put in the puzzle. I think now we finally have the base down and we are fine-tuning and shaping what I can get better at now.”

Robinson ran 10.31 in the 100-meter finals last month at the state championship meet. He feels he is rounding into form and has been progressing ever since his Mt. Tabor relay team participated in the Penn Relays a couple months ago. He also finished first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.32 at the state championship meet.

There are no specific goals that Robinson has for his freshman year with the Falcons. He just wants to go in and compete to the best of his abilities and get stronger because he knows how much of a grind the collegiate track season will be. 

“The emphasis on training is going to be really, really big for improvement, so I am excited about that,” he said.

Competing against the best of the best in the country is a task Robinson is looking forward to. Jackson has placed Robinson in some big meets to prepare him for the level of competition he should expect once he arrives at St. Aug.

The 100-meter dash is Robinson’s best race, he said. But he feels the 400 is his second-best race and could potentially grow into a great quarter-miler if that’s the direction his coach wants him to go. 

“I have always run the 400 when I first started; not a lot of people know that,” he said. “I was a good 400-meter runner when I first started, but when I got hurt a little bit around seventh or eighth grade, I dropped down to the 100 just so I could watch my injury. 

“I just never got the chance to go back up to it and I wound up excelling really well in the 100 and 200, but even now I can split 48 or 47 when needed. I feel like I have the ability to do all three of them really well.”

When it came to choosing which college he would attend, Robinson says his parents asked their questions of the various coaches but left the final decision up to him. Celia Cager, Robinson’s mother, says she was not leaning toward any particular school, but just wanted her son to be in the best situation for success.

“I just wanted to make sure it was the best decision for him and the perfect fit,” she said. “My main thing was housing, facilities and nutrition.

“It was the school itself when we got there, and they were very welcoming. They knew a lot about us, and we met some staff members and the athletic director. They let us tour the facilities and it just felt good.”

Robinson says he respects Jackson even more because even though he was recruiting Robinson to attend St. Aug., Jackson was also actively selling Robinson to other schools so he can have as many choices as possible.

The future is bright for Robinson and only time will tell how far he can go.