By John Frierson
Staff Writer
It’s possible that the highlight of Dejanea Oakley’s trip to track and field’s NCAA East Regional in Jacksonville, Fla., last week was winning several heats and qualifying for next week’s NCAA Championships in multiple races. Or it could have been that there was a bookstore near Georgia’s hotel.
“I went to Regionals and I bought three books there,” said Oakley, a junior sprinter from Jamaica. “I really love books.”
The three books she bought are more of the “summer reading” variety, like fantasy novels, rather than anything too heavy. Oakley will take classes this summer, so she’ll enjoy some lighter reading while she can.
“I do spend my weekends reading for fun, and now that I have more time, I do read and sleep a lot,” she said. “That’s my day (recently): go to practice, read a book or two, fall asleep, get up, eat, go back to sleep.”
When Oakley wasn’t resting or reading at the Regional, she was winning her 400-meter quarterfinal heat with a time of 50.70 seconds, earning a spot in the semis next week in Eugene, Ore. She also teamed up with Michelle Smith, Haley Tate and 2024 Olympian Aaliyah Butler to win the 4×400 relay with a facility-record time of 3:25.80, the third-fastest time in program history.
Oakley’s speed isn’t limited to the grueling 400; she also joined Karsen Phillips, Reign Redmond and Sanaa Frederick to win the 4×100 relay with a time of 43.11 seconds, the fourth-best time ever at Georgia. Before transferring to Georgia, Oakley ran for Texas and was the 2024 Big 12 indoor 400 champion and the 2024 Big 12 outdoor 200 champ, as well as an All-American in the 4×400 relay.
During the NCAA Indoor Championships in March, Oakley, Smith, Tate and Butler placed second in the 4×400 relay with a school-record time of 3:26.07. Assistant coach Karim Abdel Wahab said Oakley is multi-talented, and still a long way from reaching her peak.
“The natural talent is superb, and the training program matches her natural talent, so she’s responded really well to the training,” he said. “Really, the No. 1 goal is to continue to build her confidence and get her to believe that she can do something elite.”
Oakley admits to being a bookworm long before she became an athlete. Her brother, Rajay Morris, was the track standout when they were young, and she was quite happy to spend her time reading. Then, he started to veer into her lane, which changed everything.
“My brother was completely athletic, and I was completely academic, and then one year, he decided he wanted to do well in school. So I’m like, Why would you take the one thing (that’s mine)?” Oakley said with a laugh.
It turned out that Morris did her a huge favor. Oakley may be a sweet and upbeat bookworm, but she also really likes to win. And in response to her brother’s increased attention to academics, Oakley decided to give track a shot — in the hopes of showing up her brother a bit. “I was like, Let me show you!” she said.
It’s a playful rivalry between two siblings who lost both parents when they were young and have gone through so much together. Once Oakley started running, she took to it quickly. They later ran together at Texas, and Morris now runs at Albany.
“He’s been supporting me through everything. Whenever I’m nervous about a big race coming up, he’s like, ‘Hey, you literally started this just for the fun of it, and look how far you’ve come — so just keep going,'” Oakley said.
Oakley may have some pre-race jitters, but if you really want to make her nervous, ask her to name her three favorite books of all time. She got nervous thinking about the answer because she doesn’t want to hurt the feelings of the many books she loves that she’d have to leave out.
“I’m not sure I can answer this question,” she said. “This feels like I’m at the start line.”
Heading into the NCAA Championships, Butler has the nation’s top 400 time this year at 49.44, and Oakley is tied for third at 50.35, her personal-best mark. Georgia’s 4×400 team of Oakley, Smith, Tate and Butler is also tied for third. Abdel Wahab is thoroughly enjoying working with Oakley, and he’s determined to bring out the very best in her.
“I told her, I’m not backing off. I’m not going to rest until I see her reach her God-given potential,” he said. “It’s the job of a coach.”
One of Abdel Wahab’s goals is to get her to run the 400 with the mindset of being completely out of gas when she crosses the finish line. Unlike longer races in which runners try to save something for a big kick at the end, or shorter ones in which the race is all kick, the best 400 sprinters pace themselves to empty the tank reaching the 400th meter. Oakley is still working on doing that, her coach said.
“She’s still timid when she runs. She’s still holding back because she’s worried she might die too much at the end,” he said. “Once she gets comfortable with the event, I don’t know how fast she’s going to run.”
