Wildcat of the Week Parker Williams did not consider track and field his premiere sport as a high school student at La Quinta High School in Indio. Then he won Desert Empire League title in the 100-meter hurdles as a senior and earned team MVP honors. A four-year letter winner in soccer and football, he was the football team captain during his senior season and twice helped lead the soccer squad to league titles.
It was his track and field success that led him to Chico State, though. He has been itching to build on that success for a long time. Williams’ freshman campaign stopped as soon as it started. He competed at the 2020 season-opening Kim Duyst Invitational before the season was shut down. The 2021 campaign was canceled as well.
With a full season finally ahead, Williams got out of the blocks with a boom at Saturday’s Kim Duyst Invitational, winning the 110-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles while posting personal bests in both. He also teamed with Demetre Coffey, Ian Hackett, and Bryan Payne to finish fourth in the 4x400-meter relay competition.
Williams clocked in at 14.58 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles (more than two seconds faster than his time at the 2020 Kim Duyst) and 54.90 seconds in the 400 meters (three-and-a-half seconds faster that in 2020 in Turlock). His 110-meter time makes him the eighth fastest in the event in Chico State men’s track and field history and fourth fastest in the nation this year.
Not bad for his second meet as a Wildcat and first in nearly two full years.
Williams and the Wildcats will be back in action Saturday as part of the Aggie Open, hosted by UC Davis.
