Hamm eyeing Olympics in next step of journey
In a journey that’s taken him from Jones County to Kansas and then to Academy of Art University in San Francisco, the list of Shareez Hamm’s accomplishments stretches on and on.
Having just won an NCAA Division II national title in the 400-meter hurdles, Hamm this past week was named the Outdoor West Region Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. That also comes with career accolades, such as being named the 2022 and 2024 PacWest Track Athlete of the Year, nine All-American honors and being part of school records in three relay events.
“That was the main goal for the year, to win nationals,” Hamm said. “To accomplish that, it means the world to me, knowing all the hard work and sacrifice and that it all paid off.”
So with a national title and Hamm’s name appearing 17 times in the program’s top five across various events, the obvious question is what’s next.
That would be Olympic aspirations. Yes, Hamm has his sights set on preparing for the United States Olympic trials with a goal of being among the select few taken for this year’s Summer Olympics in Paris.
“I’ve gone back into training for the US Olympic Trials. They take the top 25 in the country, and then it’s three rounds. You have to survive and advance,” Hamm said. “Once you get to the final, they take the top three and the fourth might run as an alternate.”
Winning a national title and training to be an Olympian didn’t happen overnight for Hamm. In fact, track & field wasn’t in his direct plans when the 2016 JCHS graduate made his way to Highland Community College in Kansas in 2017 on an athletic training scholarship while also walking on to play football.
Then, multiple rounds of adversity came. After being cut from the football roster following the spring, Hamm reached out to Highland’s track & field coach who, after seeing Hamm’s film, agreed to let him walk on.
Hamm’s collegiate track career almost ended before it began. That was thanks to a burst abscess in his bloodstream, causing an abnormality in his white blood cell count and raising his blood pressure to what would be considered stroke level.
Hamm was determined to recover, and bouncing back through a hospital stay of seven to eight days was part of that.
“The nurse there said that she had never seen anyone walk as many laps as I did,” Hamm said. “I was determined to get back on track.”
That ended up being the case for Hamm, who after accomplishments of Emporia State included running a 51.8 in the 400-meter hurdles helped him get on the radar of four-year programs, such as Tennessee and Troy, before settling on ART U, where he would go on to imprint his name into the school record books.
As far away from home as Hamm’s career may have taken him, his senior year as a Greyhound still sticks out to him as a vivid memory.
“I really enjoyed the brotherhood of the football team,” Hamm said. “We’d have the senior dinner every Thursday. Just being under the Friday night lights in Jones County, it was always a fun experience with the ‘barking lot’ and all the students going crazy.”
Now, however, Hamm has his eyes on goals of the Olympic type, and his recent national title gives him a confidence that they can be reached.
“It gives me more confidence. I knew I could win at nationals, and I believe that I can make this team,” Hamm said. “That motivation will help me be ready and perform at my best.”
