CONWAY, Ark. – Hendrix College sophomore Jerry Maldonado came to Hendrix to become a doctor. Becoming an All-American track athlete was just a bonus along the way.

The biochemistry major from Rockwall recently earned his All-American honors with his high jump performance at the 2008 NCAA Division III Championships in Wisconsin.

He finished seventh nationally – the top eight contestants to score in the event earned All-American honors, thus immortalizing Maldonado in the Hendrix men's track and field record books. He joins 2006 graduate Julie Coats as the only other NCAA All-American in Warriors' track and field history.

Ranking seventh in the nation is quite impressive for a man who started track and field as a way to stay in shape for “a more interesting sport.” His more interesting sport was basketball, which he started playing in seventh grade as a way to meet new friends quickly. Maldonado's father was frequently transferred around the country for his work, so he lived in eight cities before coming to Hendrix.

“Moving around so much, I’d stay somewhere for maybe 18 months, and that’s not enough time to really get to know anybody,” he said. “Sports – that's what really gets you into the student body quickly. Otherwise I’d kind of just be ‘that new guy,’ the outsider. When you play sports, your teammates take you in.”

After the close of his first basketball season, Maldonado joined the track team to stay strong in the off-season. Basketball and the high jump are compatible, he said, and both make use of his height – 6 feet 4 inches. Although he stayed with the high jump because it was fun, his first love was always basketball, until he stopped playing last year because of time constraints.

As a biochemistry major with a physics minor, Maldonado's schedule is full of labs. This past semester, he spent almost 20 hours each week in the classroom.

“Track isn’t quite as demanding on my academic schedule as basketball is,” he said. “All of the coaches here are real good about letting you out of practice for academic reasons, but with basketball you feel like you’re letting the team down if you can't make practice. Track is such an individual sport that it’s less of an issue.”

As a one-sport athlete, Maldonado essentially trained year-round for the high-jump. His personal record – 6'8.75" – improved by almost three inches, and he now jumps 6'6" consistently. He isn't sure that the extra training time played a role in his recent successes, but it seems likely. If he continues to improve at the same rate in next year, he could clear nearly seven feet.

Maldonado said his strength lies in his consistency. He cited the example of a Hope College high jumper who jumped 6'10" at his qualifying meet but only cleared 6'4" at nationals.

Maldonado jumped 6'6" at all but two meets this year. One of the odd-ball meets was Harding College’s invitational in April, where his jump of 6'8.75" qualified him for nationals. At nationals he was back to 6'6", a jump that placed him in a tie for seventh place. Next year he hopes to jump 6'8" consistently.

“Even though I didn't jump my best at nationals, there were a few people ranked higher than me – like the Hope College guy – who also tanked,” Maldonado said. “Not having any scratches getting over the 6'6" bar was enough to move me up a few spots.”

He explained that his years of experience give him an edge, since the high jumping technique is not a natural movement.

“You don’t ever see people jump like that in real life, and it’s not something that comes naturally either,” he said. “There are a lot of basketball players that can jump really high, really raw, but they don’t have the technique. For me, a lot of that comes from just jumping so long.”

Sports were in large part what drew Maldonado to Hendrix. He read through the letters from colleges and universities trying to recruit him, systematically weeding out schools that didn't fit his criteria.

“At the beginning of my senior year, I had no idea about Hendrix; I had no concept of going to Arkansas for school,” he said. "I wanted somewhere I could play basketball and somewhere with a strong science and pre-med program. I guess I liked the personal atmosphere at Hendrix. Something just drew me towards it.”

When Maldonado graduates in 2010, Conway will be the place he has lived the longest. He said he knows Hendrix students and faculty better than he’s ever known anyone outside his family.

One of the people he has been most impressed by is his track and field coach, Patrick MacDonald. MacDonald has memorized all the regulations for all the events, making him a walking rulebook who unabashedly corrects the referees, but he's not overbearing, Maldonado said.

“He’s really understanding of circumstances,” Maldonado said. “I’ll call him up or text him letting him know that I’m going to be late to practice because of academics, and there’s never any problem with that. He’s been a real support for me, as a coach. That’s something that any athlete really appreciates – knowing you have a coach that's going to be backing you no matter what the circumstances.”