Logan Allison is the most successful track and field athlete the university has seen in several years.
His awards include OAC Field Athlete of the Year, four-time Great Lakes regional selection, four-time All-OAC selection (three of which earned in a single day), successful defense of his OAC champion title in the triple jump (14.07m, 46-2), and a new personal record and Capital school record set with a jump of 14.44 meters (47-4) at the Rick Meindl Last Call Invitational (14.33m).
He was named the OAC Male Field Athlete of the Week on Feb. 13 and Feb. 20, broke Capital records in the 60-meter dash (6.95) and long jump (7.09m, 23-3 ¼) at the 2017 All-Ohio Championships on Feb. 11 and currently ranks third on the Capital Top 10 in the high jump (2.00m) after his performance at the Jessica Starks Open on Jan. 28. What makes him the most successful, though, is qualifying as an All-American in the triple jump at the national indoor competition by placing fifth in the nation.
A devout Christian, Allison said that he prays before every meet and that he does everything he can to give the glory to God. He also has a strong relationship with his family, who he mentioned attend as many meets as they possibly can. When asked how much their support means to him, he said, “Family is everything to me.”
Allison’s road to becoming an All-American began at Gallia Academy High School in Gallipolis, Ohio.
As a multiple-sport athlete in high school, he initially wanted to play college football, but as he began to excel at track, winning the Division II state championship his senior year, track and field became more important.
“I am a firm believer in ‘hard work pays off,’” he said. “During the off season, I am in training at least six days a week, and I have to make sure I eat right.”
This kind of work ethic has earned the respect and admiration of his coaches.
“[Logan] is someone that works extraordinarily hard and does above and beyond what is asked of him on a regular basis,” head coach Hannah Weiss said. “It is great to have a kid like Logan on the team that continuously holds his teammates to a higher standard.”
Allison said his career has not been without setbacks, however. He has had to battle through planter fasciitis in both feet, as well as other knee and foot injuries that affect him in competition and everyday life. While the adrenaline of competing blocks some of his chronic pain, he has trouble during later rounds of competition because of the mounting discomfort.
Through all of this however, he said that the payout is worth it.
“When they put me on the podium and called my name over the PA system as an All-American, it sent shivers down my spine,” he said. “That was really cool.”
Allison is studying exercise science here at Capital and plans to go to graduate school after his senior year. Just like everything else in life, he doesn’t take this for granted.
“There are no guarantees,” he said. “I hope they let me in.”
And when asked what his goals were for next season, he thought for a few seconds, smiled and said “to win.”
