“ I had a really great year and I really broke out this year,” Harper said at the 17th-annual NTSPYs.“ I feel good being the best track athlete.”
Two weeks after claiming gold in the 300 hurdles, Harper returned back to the track this time in the Nike Outdoor Nationals & USATF U20 Championships.
She finished first in the Emerging Elite Finals of the 100 hurdles. The 15-year-old had the second-fastest time( 14.36 seconds – three-hundredths of a second behind Brynlee Dubiel) in the preliminaries.
Harper changed her mindset and ran to victory in 14.26 seconds, beating out Dubiel by 14( 14.40) at the University of Oregon’ s Hayward Field.
She claimed her second national title by crossing the line in 1:02.70 in the 400 hurdles.
Now a sophomore, Harper said she’ s excited for this 2025 season and hopes to do better than freshmen year. She added“ I want to win state and nationals again.”
“ I think when you hear her name it proceeds her,” Nora said.“ As her mom, I would love to see all of the years of this investments, like her body and all of the time spent on the track, I hope it pays off in some sort of scholarship wherever she wants. That’ s what I would hope for her being happy, healthy and letting that investment pay off for her.
“ Jada and I have talked about competing in the Olympics a lot,” she continued.“ I think Div. I would be high hopes for her and hopefully one day you will see her running hurdles in the Olympics.”
New Albany’ s Jada Harper took home the NTSPY Awards for the Girls’ Track & Field Athlete of the Year as well as the Girls’ Overall Player of the Year. She is entering her sophomore season and already has a state title and two national championships under her belt.
JAN / FEB 2026 NEWS AND TRIBUNE SPORTS MAGAZINE PAGE NO. 15