Few teenagers are able to experience what Parkland High School rising junior Joey Hawkins has.

After successful track and field seasons as a freshman and sophomore, Hawkins qualified for the USA Track and Field Junior Nationals over the summer by finishing first in the 110-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles in a state meet that qualified him for regionals.

Following a solid showing in the Northeast Region that included a second-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles and a third-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles, Hawkins earned a trip to Greensboro, NC, to participate in the Junior Olympic Nationals. He participated against runners from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Delaware in regionals.

"It was pretty exciting," said Hawkins of Nationals. "I got a little nervous because it was my first big, big meet with a lot of people there. But I was just excited, and I wanted to do well. And I think I did pretty well."

Held at North Carolina A&T State University from July 22-28, Hawkins competed in the 16-year old age group against some of the best runners around the country. He placed 18th in both the 110-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles at the USATF Junior Olympics Nationals. Hawkins ran a 15.59 in the 110-meter hurdles and a 59.08 in the 400-meter hurdles.

"It's a lot different than the 300," said Hawkins, referring to the distance athletes run in Pennsylvania high school meets. "100 meters is a big difference. It's a lot of work training for that, and I wasn't really expecting how hard it would be. But I like it, and I look forward to doing it further.

"There's a lot more endurance training for the 400. So it's a lot more work."

Former Northampton High School hurdling great Jason Kremus has helped Hawkins prepare over the summer for his events, and was on the sidelines during the high school season at Parkland.

While the high school season is still a number of months away, it's never too early to look ahead and prepare for the upcoming campaign. Hawkins, who may run in a few more races other than the 110- and 300-meter hurdles during the season, has his eyes set on improving his 110-meter time.

"I'd like to try to get under 14 [seconds] because it's about that time to start getting faster times," said Hawkins of the 110 meter hurdles. "I want to start lifting more and getting bigger."

He's also hoping to be back at the USATF Junior Olympics next year too.

"I'm looking forward to going back," said Hawkins. "I'm just going to have to train harder because I'm going to be 17. It's going to be pretty difficult, but I'm willing to train harder and get better. We'll see what happens."

Hawkins is also trying out for a spot on the Trojans' boys soccer team in the fall.

Two other Parkland athletes competed at nationals in rising senior, Jacob Kappes, and recent graduate, Nolan Hay, also participated in the USATF Junior Olympics Nationals. Hay finished 22nd in the long jump with a mark of 6.61 meters. Kappes captured 29th in the decathalon with 4,741 points. Both athletes participated in the 17-18 year old age group.