By Bill Sheehan 

FULLERTON, Calif. - Cal State Fullerton senior Jahzara Davis had a somewhat spur-of-the moment start to her hurdling career at age 13. 

The coach of her Colorado Springs Striders Track Club mentioned to Davis' mother that there were only four entries in her age group in the 200m hurdles at the state USATF Junior Olympic Championships. "He asked, 'Do you think Jahzara would like to hurdle?' " Tess Davis recalled. 
 

The younger Davis needed a lot of convincing and some last-minute coaching in the discipline before agreeing to give it a try. Not only did she take part in the Colorado Junior Olympics Championships race – she won it. A top-five finish at the ensuing regional gave Davis the opportunity to compete at the National Junior Olympics in Sacramento. 
 

Now, the Coloradan is making a name for herself on the collegiate level. In her 2025 indoor track debut last month, she had a personal-best time of 8.13 seconds to win the 60m hurdles at the Silver State Invitational in Reno. Davis also notched a personal-best 7.40 to place second in the 60m dash. Afterward, she was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Women's Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Week. 

"Our fall workouts are always intense, and we suffered through them as a team. It was like, 'Let's get through this and have fun competing,' " said Davis, who was born in Colorado Springs. 
"I went into Reno feeling really good. I was thinking, 'It's my senior year. I'm going to have whatever time, and I'm going to have fun doing it.' When I saw my winning time, I thought, 'Wow! It must have been really fun.' " 

Davis and her teammates will be back on the track Friday and Saturday at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic in Albuquerque. Fifteen combined top25 teams, including USC, Stanford, LSU and Texas, will be competing at the Albuquerque Convention Center. A live stream will be available via FloTrack. 

"New Mexico will be the highest level of competition we'll have faced this year, with some of the best sprinters, hurdlers jumpers and runners in the nation," said Marques, Barosso, the Titans track and field head coach. "Mentally, it's a matter of the athletes managing their nerves and locking in. We feel we can compete with the best." 

Davis is fulfilling the potential she showed after transferring from Colorado State a year ago, said Barosso, who is in his fourth season guiding Fullerton. "Last season, we were teaching her how to run more efficiently. The technical tweaking and increased trust with her coaches have made a big difference this year. 

"Jahzara transforms into a different personality when she is working out and competing. She tunes out all outside factors and is locked in at a different level of focus this year." 

The coach sees an expanded role for Davis in the outdoor season. In addition to the 100m dash, the 100m hurdles and the long jump, she might run legs on the 4x100 relay team. Barosso cautioned, however, that the coaches will be careful not to overload Davis and jeopardize her chances of qualifying for the 100m hurdles at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships West Preliminary. A year ago, she was the lone Fullerton woman to qualify for the prelims. 

"I've really worked on my fundamentals," said Davis. "I had always tended to run a little bit wildly and aggressively, with my arms flailing. I've been channeling my aggression into a clean, powerful race instead of a wild, crazy one." 

The 5-foot-5 Davis said she enjoys indoor and outdoor competition equally. Her outdoor personal bests are 13.41 in the 100m hurdles, 11.97 in the 100m dash and 19 feet 2 inches in the long jump.  

"Some people think indoors doesn't count. Not me. The first 60 meters are the best part of my races. I love indoor a whole lot because, hey, I only have to run 60 meters," she joked. "If I can carry this same enthusiasm, I can probably drop my times lower."

"I'm looking forward to good weather during the outdoor season. I'll be working on the last part of my race and trying to figure out how the different events will fit into my schedule." 

Weather is one of the main reasons Davis transferred to Fullerton after spending two years at Colorado State. "I feel that I'm not built for the cold. I was walking to class in a blizzard one day and I thought, 'I've been doing this since high school [laughs].' "  

"Tayla Brunger, one of my teammates and very best friends, had transferred to Fullerton after the 2022 track season. She said, 'You should come. It's cool over here.' I was like, 'All right.' I had heard about the coaching here. I've built bonds with my teammates, and it feels like home." 

Brunger, who is a junior sprinter from Whanganui, New Zealand, said Davis brings a fun, positive and bubbly attitude to the squad. "The whole team loves her," she said. 

"We've gone through the highs and lows together. Jahzara is so fun to train with, and it's great to race against her. When she gets to the line, she becomes an awesome competitor." 

Davis spent first through fourth grades in Central California when her father was stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base, now Space Force Base. At first, she participated in soccer, basketball and gymnastics. 

One day, an 8-year-old Davis was doing conditioning drills with her basketball team when the coach took her mother aside. "He told me that my daughter was very fast and suggested she compete in a track meet being held a few days later in Lompoc," Tess recalled. "Jahzara didn't really know what to do when we got to the track. In fact, she ran out of her lane in the 200 meters." 

Surprisingly, the young Davis placed second in both the 100m and 200m races, the latter of which was restarted after her running faux pas. 

Besides excelling for the Striders Track Club, Davis earned numerous track and field honors at Sand Creek High School in Colorado Springs. She was the 4A state champion in the 100m hurdles (14.62) as a senior and was named Sand Creek Female Athlete of the Year in 2018, 2019 and 2021. 

Her family helped Davis with her training when the pandemic cut short the 2020 track season. "My son and I were out there timing her and shooting performance videos," said Tess. "And we used PVC pipes to build out some homemade hurdles." 

Davis still holds Sand Creek record for the 100m hurdles and the long jump. "I got to put my name on the school record board. That was cool," she said. 

"I chose to attend Colorado State so that I could stay close to home during the Covid crisis," Davis said. "Fort Collins is just a two-hour drive from home, so it's like being in my back yard." 

Her father, Lee, had a career in the Air Force, retiring as a captain. He now works as a civilian contractor. Her mother Tess is a school nutritionist. Her older brother, Jabari, who lives in New Mexico and works at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. 

Davis said she gets inspiration from her parents and brother. "My mom is a Filipino American, first generation from the Philippines. She works hard every single day. I take a lot of that from my mom – that's why I love putting in the effort in academics and athletics. And I learned disciple and hard work from my dad." 
 

The 21-year-old Davis will graduate this spring or summer with a psychology degree. "I'm taking some human resources-specific classes and would like to work in HR. I like the people aspect of business, and my psychology degree ties into that." 

She would also like to coach track and field. "I've been in the sport so long – I can't let it go.'  
In her free time Davis enjoys crocheting and working on journals and scrapbooks. "I'm decent at video games. If you ever want to challenge me in Wii Bowling, let me know." 

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