This tandem from Knox College is running blazing speeds heading into outdoor championships

GALESBURG — Knox College senior Derrick Jackson and sophomore Tyrell Pierce are running blazing speeds.

In late April, Jackson set the school record in the 100-meter dash after he broke the tape in 10.17 seconds at the Culver-Stockton Wildcat Open in Canton, Missouri.

Last Thursday night at Augustana College in Rock Island, Pierce tied the Knox 400 (47.43) school record that has stood for 33 years.

Jackson and Pierce will try to add to their accomplishments this weekend in the NCAA Division III men's outdoor track and field championships at the SPIRE Institue in Geneva, Ohio.

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Jackson, a Miami Gardens, Florida, native, holds the No. 2 seed in the 100. Pierce, who hails from Auburn, Alabama, is seeded 10th in the 400. They'll compete in Friday's prelims and hope to still be on the track when Saturday's finals roll around.

"Having the confidence is key. Believing, I know I can go out here against other top athletes in the country and come out on top. That's what it really takes," Prairie Fire coach Evander Wells said. "You can tell who goes in believing they can win versus who is just there and happy to be there."

Jackson and Pierce indeed want to secure victories. Like Wells, they also know in order to do so the duo needs the right mindset.

"I'm just going to go there and keep doing what I've been doing and get it done," Jackson said. "I just have to go out there and dominate. I just have to go get it.

"We've just got to go out there and dominate," Jackson added.

Jackson's been in this situation before

Jackson has qualified for four straight NCAA championships. He took part in the 2022 indoor meet, and he previously attended the 2021 outdoor championships where he placed fifth in the 100 (10.61) and sixth in the 200 (21.47) to earn All-America status in both events.

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The 2021 indoor and 2020 outdoor championships were not held due to COVID-19. Jackson also was set to attend the 2020 indoor championships before they were canceled by the coronavirus pandemic. Jackson earned All-America status in the 60 after the cancellation.

"Year in and year out, Derrick has continued to put in the work," Wells said. "He has a lot of records, he has a lot of wins but still wants more."

However, Jackson's never won a race at nationals, and he's bound to change that.

"I know what it feels like to go and not come out on top," Jackson said. "I've got to finish strong. The start is pretty smooth. I push hard but that last couple meters is what matters most. I've got to make sure I don't break form."

Wells' wisdom helps Jackson, Pierce

As the season and their track careers have progressed, Jackson and Pierce have only gotten faster. Wells, a former sprinter who competed for the University of Tennessee, played a big part in that.

Wells was a four-year member of the Volunteers and a nine-time All-American, as well as an 18-time Southeastern Conference finalist. Wells ranks in the Top 10 all-time at Tennessee in the 60-, 100- and 200-meter dashes. He qualified for six NCAA Championships and was a member of the United States World Junior Team.

Wells still has plenty of speed left in the tank, and he displays it about daily in practice. Wells also preaches technique 24/7. Jackson and Pierce have taken his words to heart, and they've excelled.

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"I've been there. I've done it and it helps them quite a bit," Wells said. "I've competed at a really high level. I've taken them through what I know what will work for them. I've helped them get to where they want to be and I think when they actually see the results, see things working out it helps them, as well.

"My goal is to build confidence in them," Wells added. "I can see whenever they step on the track they believe they can win it, and it's about going out and executing."

"I trust my coach," Jackson said. "Everything that we've been doing has brought results."

Tandem pushes each other

Jackson and Pierce both put on football pads for Knox, and they met when Pierce took a campus visit as a high schooler. They're roommates away from the gridiron and track, and they aide each other.

"Just being able to run against him and with him has really helped me a lot," Pierce said of Jackson.

"One thousand percent, he helps me," Jackson said of Pierce. "Sometimes mentality I beat myself up a lot. He comes and lifts me up. Like for example, the indoor nationals I wasn't at my best. I was second guessing a lot of my stuff, and he made sure I was good mentality. He sent me a scripture.

"Off the track, he motivates me. He pushes me," Jackson added. "We live a very competitive lifestyle whether its (NBA) 2K or on the track, shoes, food. We have this thing where whoever wins whatever gets a milkshake. The loser buys."

Jackson, Pierce have battled injuries

Despite what Jackson and Pierce have already accomplished, there's still things they can improve upon. Being 100% physically is one of the main keys for the pair.

"There's always room to get faster. That's one thing we always work on," Wells said. "One thing — especially with Derrick — is getting healthy. We've had some health things pop up on us from time-to-time. Getting healthy and staying healthy is going to allow him to run fast and more consistently and if you can run consistently it's just easier to run.

"It's great to see them both overcome some things," Wells added. "Tyrell had a partial ACL tear from football and to see everything he's put in to get back and where he's at right now is great.

"Health is going to be very important for us going forward. The more reps they get in the better they're going to get."

Scots' Wilson taking part in pole vault

Monmouth College's Reed Wilson will take part in Friday's pole vault prelims. The junior is making his second appearance in the outdoor national meet, and he's seeded ninth (4.95m).

Wilson, a Normal native, placed 12th in the indoor championships in March.

Matthew Wheaton can be reached at (309) 315-6073 or at mwheaton@register-mail.com. Follow him on Twitter @matthewlwheaton

This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: NCAA Track: Pair of Knox sprinters set for nationals