Tray'Quan Francis completed his hat trick of Outstanding Athlete awards at the Class 4A state meet

Westgate alumnus Tray’Quan Francis’ time at junior college has been as productive as a student-athlete can dream of.

In addition to earning an associate’s degree from Indian Hills Community College, Francis is also leaving Iowa with several national championships and interest from several top NCAA Division I programs.

In addition to earning a spot in the 800-meter finals of the NJCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships this year, Francis also won his third national team title and his second national title in the 4×800-meter relay.

Now that he is back home in New Iberia, Francis has been able to reflect on his time as a junior college athlete.

“(College track) has been up and down,” Francis said. “Track is a sport where you’re going to have more downs than ups, but I’m just grateful for the experience, to be honest.”

Francis originally signed to compete at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, but decided to transfer to Indian Hills due to their impressive coaching staff and 800-meter running team.

At Indian Hills, Francis continued to challenge for national titles, both in individual events as well as team relays. Despite the high expectations he place on himself, Francis still enjoyed college track.

“There’s pressure, of course, especially because I want to do great things and I know a lot of people are cheering for me,” he said. “I don’t really think that it’s stressful, because I enjoy it. As long as I’m enjoying it and having fun, then I’m happy.”

With his junior college career behind him, Francis will now make a decision on which Division I program he will transfer to in the fall. With interest from LSU, Iowa, Houston and Iowa State, Francis’ decision won’t be an easy one.

Giving him a leg up will be his two years of development he received at the junior college level, something he said can be invaluable for young athletes who may not be ready to make the jump from high school to a Division I program.

“I would say that JUCO has an advantage over D1,” Francis said. “When you come out of high school, you don’t really have a clue about what college is. When you go to a D1 program, the coaches aren’t going to be soft on you or walk you through anything. They expect you to be ready to compete and stay on top of your school work, so a lot of people struggle with that right out of high school. I think JUCO is a beginner’s step. You take the same classes you would take at a bigger school, but the development through the sport is smoother.”

“JUCO isn’t a bad thing if you really want to get better and continue to develop.”

His time at South Plans and Indian Hills also helped to develop Francis personally, teaching him discipline and responsibility.

“You have to learn how to be on your own and do for yourself. You don’t have teachers or the government calling home to make you go to school. If you don’t show up to class, you’re all on your own. Nobody is holding your hand,” he said.