Senior Charonda Williams enjoyed a fruitful first year as a member of the 2008 Sun Devil track and field team.
Williams helped the women bring a second consecutive national championship to Tempe and later that year became an All-American in the outdoor 200 meters as well as the Pac-10 champion in the 100 and 200 meters.
This year she is busy rewriting the history books for ASU in virtually every event she competes in, and after picking up three All-American plaques at nationals, Williams has her sights set on dominating the Pac-10 Championships again in May.
The State Press: How did you end up at ASU?
Charonda Williams: It’s a funny story. Actually, I wanted to come to Arizona State for a while. I don’t know why I wanted to come here. And I remember a track meet I ran 11.50 [in the 100], and I received a letter from the University of Florida, and I was like, well, I want to go to [ASU], and the second letter I got was from [ASU]. … When I was offered the full-ride scholarship, [it] was truly amazing, because this is somewhere I always wanted to train.
SP: What is it like to be known as one of the fastest women in ASU history?
CW: It’s amazing for me just to know that I have the school record [in the 60 and the 200 meters] and will forever be a part of ASU history. I can’t really describe the feeling. It’s just a joyful feeling.
SP: What kind of training went in to your becoming an All-American?
CW: It wasn’t so much training as [it was the] mental aspect for me.
Last year I was more doubting myself ,and I was like, scared, because I was a junior-college transfer and I didn’t know how to perform at an elite level. … I think I [became] more focused [as the year progressed].
SP: After being part of such a successful team last year, was it unusual to finish fifth at indoor nationals?
CW: It was very unusual. When [I] looked at [ASU] coach [Greg] Kraft and he [had that] look on his face and he [said], ‘I was really hoping to get fourth place, but I’ll settle with fifth with five girls.’ I mean, it was a surprise to me.
SP: What do you do when you are not out on the track?
CW: I like to read and play my Nintendo DS. I’m a big Nintendo DS fan. I like all the old-school games like “Crash Bandicoot,” “Super Mario Brothers,” [and] “Donkey Kong,” [and I like] text
messaging.
Reach the reporter at emschimm@asu.edu.
