Post Classifieds
Henry named athlete of year
By Aaron Garland
On March 25, 2012
Despite taking the road less traveled to Buffalo State and battling a nagging injury, Sasha Henry
persevered this season to become one of the top Division III athletes in women's track and field.
The junior sprinter was recently named the SUNYAC Women's Outstanding Indoor Track Athlete of the
Year after capturing two conference championships and qualifying for the NCAA tournament in the 60-
meter dash.
Those honors are even more impressive when considering what she overcame to achieve them.
Henry was born in Mount Vernon, Jamaica, and moved to the United States after living there for eight
years.
A heavily-recruited athlete out of high school, Henry was a New York State champion in the 100-meter
dash. After high school, she chose to enroll at a junior college with a premier track and field program,
Essex County Community College in Newark, NJ.
Her time running track there was short-lived, and she dropped out after a year. Buffalo State assistant
track and field coach Markus Allen said things just did not go the way they were planned for Henry at
Essex.
Henry took a year off from school and running all together after her time at Essex. She joined the Buffalo
State team as a sophomore last year, but initially did not have the confidence she had in the past.
"I went to Essex, then I kind of took a year off, and coming back I didn't have as much expectation,"
Henry said.
Allen said that despite missing a year, Henry was making good strides in her training and confidence last
season. However, she had another setback in her running last February, suffering a quadriceps injury.
The injury sidelined Henry for the rest of the indoor season, and most of the outdoor season. She
competed in three outdoor events, but was not 100 percent during them.
"She's (Henry) one of those girls that never got hurt like that before, so she didn't know when her leg
was going to come back to her, or if it was ever going to come back to her," said assistant coach Marcus
Allen, who took part in recruiting Henry along with head coach Eugene Lewis. "Psychologically, that
really kind of buried her."
Henry considered quitting running track last summer to concentrate more on her studies, with the
thought that maybe her running career was over. However, Allen sat down with her and let her know
that he felt she was a national-caliber athlete, and she just never had the proper opportunity to
showcase her abilities.
"I told her that academics is always going to be your number one thing," Allen said. "But at the same
time, (she is) one of the best sprinters, I felt like at that point in time, and this was before she really even
put anything down on the national scene."
Henry spent much of last season rehabbing and working with the training staff, while resting her leg
over the summer to help ensure a healthy and successful season.
"Over the summer I really didn't even do (anything)," she said. "I rested the whole time, kind of iced
(her quad), I didn't do any running at all."
The rehab and resting process has proven to be beneficial, as she competed at a high level this indoor
season. Henry praised Allen for everything he has done to motivate and improve her running. She said
that Allen coaches her one-on-one on a daily basis.
"He'd be there for me every time I need him," Henry said. "Even one-on-one he'd try and help me with
my start because I have (a) very slow reaction in the block, and he thinks I can run way faster than I do."
Sophomore hurdler/sprinter Jazmin Dunham said she encouraged Henry through the injury last year,
and after Dunham got hurt this year, Henry returned the favor and shared her experiences. This year,
Dunham loved seeing Henry endure all of the success she had.
"I was extremely happy for her because last year she couldn't do much of anything," Dunham
said. "Then she came in this season, and she accomplished so many things - I was really excited for
her."
Henry said she was discouraged after the injury mostly because she knew she had the potential to
compete at nationals.
"I watched Erica Johnson, my teammate, run at the national meet (last year), and to see her run and
know I couldn't be at that level also, it kind of made me upset," she said.
There was no injury or setback for Henry this year. She didn't just watch the national competition - she
was busy competing herself.
Aaron Garland can be reached by email at garland.record@live.com.
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