Trevor Goodwin’s rise to becoming one of best triple jumpers in the state began during his sophomore season with the Rochelle Township High School track and field team.

Goodwin showed promise during the indoor season, leaping 40 feet and 6 inches for a personal best during the 2019 Gary Egler Invitational. That was only the beginning, however, as Goodwin continued to compile excellent jumps during the outdoor season. His PR increased from over 41 feet to over 42 feet and finally, during the IHSA 2A Sterling Sectional, Goodwin surpassed 43 feet, marking 43-2 ¾ to win the triple jump title and qualify for the IHSA State Championships.

Goodwin saved his best performance for last, though, finishing sixth and medaling in the state finals with a personal-record mark of 43-9 ¼ to end the season as an All-State triple jumper.

“I thought I made huge improvements during my sophomore year because I did a lot of weightlifting over the offseason and I kept doing workouts to increase my speed,” Goodwin said. “Another huge factor was having coach [Vic] Worthington help me anytime I needed him. He provided me with resources to help me fine tune my skills. I was also competing head-to-head with my teammate Mason [DeLille] and we pushed each other during every practice and meet.”

As Goodwin prepared for his junior season, he had expectations including a return to the state meet and earning another medal. Unfortunately, Goodwin and many others lost their 2020 track and field seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now a senior, Goodwin is channeling the frustration over losing his junior season and setting greater goals for 2021 including qualifying for state in three events including the triple jump, the long jump and the hurdles. Goodwin also said he wants to break the varsity triple jump record after breaking the fresh-soph record in 2019.

“Losing my junior year was really tough and I was really upset about it, but I put all my frustration into working out and I’ve been using that loss as a motivator to work hard and surprise everybody my senior year,” Goodwin said. “I’ve been checking in with my coaches and asking what I can do to keep improving over the offseason. I also practiced with the team once a week during September and October and focused on improving my skills and motivating my team.”

Goodwin’s current personal record in the long jump is 19-3 ½, which he marked during Rochelle’s only indoor meet of the 2020 season. Goodwin set personal bests in both the 110 and 300-meter hurdles as a sophomore, finishing with respective times of 17.50 and 45.28 seconds. Goodwin has come a long way from when he first took up track and field in fifth grade, when he thought doing track and field would only help improve his skills for another sport he played.

“My mom told me that I should do track and field and I didn’t want to because I thought it was nothing but running long distances,” Goodwin said. “I agreed to try track and field because I figured it would increase my speed and endurance for baseball. I fell in love with the sport when I started practicing and learning about the long jump, and when I learned about the triple jump in sixth grade, I fell in love with the sport even more. I enjoy how it’s a team-oriented sport and an individual sport where I can push and compete against myself while pushing my teammates.”