Senior track and field standout Ameer Muhammad helped the Crenshaw boys track and field team qualify for the State championship. He ran a leg for the 4×100 relay squad who had been successful throughout track season. Muhammad competed in the 100m dash, the 200m dash, and the 4x100m during the CIF State championship.
Muhammad plays football and runs track, but his primary sport is track and field. He noted how the skills he learned in track helps in football and vice versa.
“Football had helped my stamina, the conditioning,” he said. “Track helped me with my speed so my routes could be better, I hit my routes harder.”
Becoming the speedster he is on the track was a process, he started his track career at the age of five. There was a time where he gave up on sprinting.
“I gave up on myself on myself because I was coming in last every race,” Muhammad said. “My dad used to tell me ‘Just keep pushing, keep pushing.'”
His choice to pursue track in high school paid off, he advanced to the varsity track team by the 10th grade and qualified for the State Championship as a junior in the 200m meter. As a senior, he broke the meet record at the Santa Monica Invitational in the 100m with an 11.14s time. He also helped the 4×100 relay team break the meet record with a 44.03s time.
In the Coliseum League finals, Muhammad competed in four events. In the 100m, he outpaced eight competitors, finishing in 10.84 seconds. Muhammad came in first in the 200m with 22.27s and helped the 4×100 relay squad pace the Coliseum League with a 42.93. Muhammad ran for the 4x400m and came in second with a 3:38.86 time.
In the City Section Championships, he finished the 100m in 10.83 seconds and the 200m in 21.76 seconds. The 4×100 relay team came in third with a 42.91s time. Crenshaw qualified for the CIF State competition in all three events.
“The 200m, it was easy,” Muhammad said. “It was just a breeze, just run hard.”
In the State prelims, Muhammad came in 15th in the 100m with a 10.79s time and came in 10th in the 200m with a 21.74s time. The 4×100 squad was 19th with a 42.63s time.
While competing in football and track, Muhammad did not neglect his studies. He had a 3.1 GPA his senior year, taking AP Economics and Honors Statistics. His favorite subjects are science and health.
“We take our sports serious, but we take our academics serious too,” Muhammad said. “We’re actually smart … we try our hardest at school we take everything serious at Crenshaw.”
Muhammad plans on attending San Jose State this fall. His father saw something in Muhammad did not see in himself.
“I’m very excited because my ninth grade year, I didn’t even think college was the way for me,” he said. “My dad told me I was going to college no matter what.”
Muhammad’s advice is to persevere through challenges and have a strong work ethic if you are serious about being competitive.
“Never give up, just keep pushing yourself,” he said. “Don’t just work hard at practice, work hard by yourself too.”
