I THINK DIV. I WOULD BE HIGH HOPES FOR HER AND HOPEFULLY ONE DAY YOU WILL SEE HER RUNNING HURDLES IN THE OLYMPICS.
When she got into high school, Harper changed events and began running the hurdles.
Nora Harper, who played basketball when she was in high school, turned to Lutisha Bowen. Bowen was the 2008 Gatorade Kentucky Track and Field Athlete of the Year and was a key hurdler for EKU. She graduated from EKU in 2012.
“ She was Jada’ s first hurdles coach and she fostered her love for the hurdles,” Nora Harper said.“ Before her, Jada ran the 200 and 400. Bowen got to work in person with Jada for about a year.”
The expertise from Bowen helped Harper excel in her first year for the‘ Dogs.
She won the 60-meter hurdle race in the Large School division at the annual Hoosier State Relays( i. e. the indoor state championships) in 8.54 seconds, shattering the‘ Dogs school record.
Harper continued her beat down of New Albany’ s record books during the outdoor campaign. She went undefeated in both the 100 and 300 hurdles during the regular season.
At the Floyd Central Sectional, the then freshmen phenom won three events – the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles and the 400 relay. She shattered the 16-year-old sectional-record in the 100 hurdles, finishing in 14.23 seconds, in the preliminaries, and broke a 26-year-old mark en route to victory in the 300( 42.51).
“ She has always been the quiet hard worker but also she struggled with confidence surprisingly,” Harper said of her daughter’ s determination.“ It has always been a process of building up her confidence, even though she’ s great at it. Always a hard worker. She will do what she’ s asked but even she doesn’ t know her full ability.”
Fast forward to the IHSAA State Finals, Harper stumbled in the preliminaries of the 100 hurdles and was last among 27 runners. But like every great champion, she fought through adversity and came back for the 300 hurdles.
Running in the second of three heats, Harper cleared the hurdles in a personal-best 41.52. After waiting for the final heat, she jumped and screamed before becoming a state champion – the first-ever from Floyd County.
Jada Harper hugs one of her coaches, Harold Allen, after a track meet when she was younger. Harper competed for a team out of Louisville for travel track.
PAGE NO. 14 NEWS AND TRIBUNE SPORTS MAGAZINE JAN / FEB 2026