University of New Hampshire Athletics
James Wilkes
5/19/2021 7:44:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
Even allowing for what he readily admits may be a little recency bias, this year has been one to remember, says James Wilkes, a running standout on the University of New Hampshire cross country and track & field teams.
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"It's been clouded some with COVID, but the season has been so special with everyone on their 'A'' game and it being Coach 'B's last season," Wilkes said. "There's definitely a lot of emotion that has gone into it for everyone involved. . . . This season has been hard to beat."
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Wilkes, a senior out of Concord (N.H.) High School has contributed to the highlights and emotions of the year with a breakout season of his own on the track this spring which has led him to preparing to compete at his first career NCAA Prelims on May 26.
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For his efforts, he pulled down one of UNH's top athletic awards in the Senior Showcase. Wilkes was named the male winner of the prestigious Jim Urquhart Student-Athlete of the Year Award.Â
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The award is presented to one male and one female as "the most outstanding senior student-athletes based on athletic success, community involvement and academic achievement."
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The cross country and track & field teams made a clean sweep of this year's Urquhart Awards: Senior Meg Champagne of Plattsburgh, N.Y., was the female winner.
It was a fitting final Senior Showcase for Jim Boulanger, the coach director of the UNH cross country and track & field teams, who is retiring after nearly 40 years of leading the programs.
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Wilkes has been accepted into a PhD program in chemistry at Boston College (where he will get a masters degree in the process) for the fall and will likely use his final year of running eligibility there next season.
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Early on, like most athletes, Wilkes transitioned into college competition.
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"I think coming in freshman and sophomore years I was still getting used to the new intensity of college training," he said. "I went through a couple of nagging injuries that caused me not to miss races, but to have some inconsistent races, and I was not where I wanted to be."
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That began to change during his junior cross country season that started with an impressive individual and team performance at the University of Maine.
Â
"Our team had a great energy and morale going into it and ended up sweeping the meet and that really set the tone for the season," Wilkes said. "You could see the excitement and we went on to have some of the fastest performances the team had had in some years."
Â
The Wildcats took the top six spots in the Maine race. Wilkes was third and it was a big day for former Concord High runners (Forest MacKenzie was first and Aidan O'Hern fifth).
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That was the fall of 2019 and, despite COVID messing things up later that school year and into this one, the Wildcats were able to carry over some of their momentum, in part because of the emotion of it being Boulanger's finale, Wilkes said.
Â
"Coach B's last home meet is one of the memories I'll hold onto for a long time," Wilkes said. "There was a lot of emotion at that meet and at the conference meet as well. They did a shout out at the end and there was a standing ovation for everything he's done for the program and the conference."
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For his part, Boulanger was good friends with Jim Urquhart – the longtime UNH wrestling and lacrosse coach and athletic department administrator who died in 1998 – and said Wilkes is Urquhart's kind of student-athlete.
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"Jamie's an individual who has shined," Boulanger said. "He's the type of kid Jimmy would have liked. He came in and took it to the next level. I think he's a good fit for the award. He epitomizes what Jimmy stood for: Work hard, keep improving."
Â
Wilkes turned in impressive times in the 800 (1:49.63 to place fourth in the IC4A/ECAC Championships) and 1500 (3:50.63 to finish third in the America East Championships) this spring.
Â
"I have no complaints about this year," Wilkes said. "It started clicking with the training Coach B and I had drawn up. I'm very pleased how this season has played out. I never would have thought I'd get to 1:50 in the 800, never thought that was going to be a possibility."
Â
Wilkes, who has been involved with various community projects with fellow members of the cross country and track & field teams, surprised himself and the coach.
Â
"He's really done it last year and this year," Boulanger said. "He stepped up both years. His times mean he might have another level he can go to. That's the thing: He took what the program offered him and he got better."
Â
Robert Hoppler, the head coach of the women's cross country team and co-coach of the women's track & field team, called Wilkes an example of Jim Boulanger 101.
Â
"He trained and put his mileage in and every year he's gotten better and better," Hoppler said. "This final year he ran great in cross country and at multiple distances on the track. It's Jim Boulanger 101. It's amazing how Jamie Wilkes has improved. It's fantastic. He's a hard worker in class and on the track and a natural leader. You couldn't ask for anything more."
Â
After the NCAAs it will be on to Boston College for Wilkes.
Â
Wilkes, who worked as a long-term substitute in chemistry this winter at Franklin High School, started out in biochemistry at UNH and switched to chemistry.
Â
"I'm real big into sustainable materials and reusable energy and carbon dioxide reduction," he said. "I'm interested in working in materials chemistry for a greener type science or chemistry, environmental chemistry. I guess I got it from my parents. I've always had an interest in recycling and wanting to make sure we're treating the planet with respect. There's clearly climate change going on. I think the science is pretty hard on that. Hopefully we're able to, if not reverse that, slow it for generations to come."
Â
WATCH THE 2021 SENIOR SHOWCASE
Â
Allen Lessels
@UNHInsider
Allen.Lessels@unh.edu
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"It's been clouded some with COVID, but the season has been so special with everyone on their 'A'' game and it being Coach 'B's last season," Wilkes said. "There's definitely a lot of emotion that has gone into it for everyone involved. . . . This season has been hard to beat."
Â
Wilkes, a senior out of Concord (N.H.) High School has contributed to the highlights and emotions of the year with a breakout season of his own on the track this spring which has led him to preparing to compete at his first career NCAA Prelims on May 26.
Â
For his efforts, he pulled down one of UNH's top athletic awards in the Senior Showcase. Wilkes was named the male winner of the prestigious Jim Urquhart Student-Athlete of the Year Award.Â
Â
The award is presented to one male and one female as "the most outstanding senior student-athletes based on athletic success, community involvement and academic achievement."
Â
The cross country and track & field teams made a clean sweep of this year's Urquhart Awards: Senior Meg Champagne of Plattsburgh, N.Y., was the female winner.
It was a fitting final Senior Showcase for Jim Boulanger, the coach director of the UNH cross country and track & field teams, who is retiring after nearly 40 years of leading the programs.
Â
Wilkes has been accepted into a PhD program in chemistry at Boston College (where he will get a masters degree in the process) for the fall and will likely use his final year of running eligibility there next season.
Â
Early on, like most athletes, Wilkes transitioned into college competition.
Â
Â
"I think coming in freshman and sophomore years I was still getting used to the new intensity of college training," he said. "I went through a couple of nagging injuries that caused me not to miss races, but to have some inconsistent races, and I was not where I wanted to be."
Â
That began to change during his junior cross country season that started with an impressive individual and team performance at the University of Maine.
Â
"Our team had a great energy and morale going into it and ended up sweeping the meet and that really set the tone for the season," Wilkes said. "You could see the excitement and we went on to have some of the fastest performances the team had had in some years."
Â
The Wildcats took the top six spots in the Maine race. Wilkes was third and it was a big day for former Concord High runners (Forest MacKenzie was first and Aidan O'Hern fifth).
Â
That was the fall of 2019 and, despite COVID messing things up later that school year and into this one, the Wildcats were able to carry over some of their momentum, in part because of the emotion of it being Boulanger's finale, Wilkes said.
Â
"Coach B's last home meet is one of the memories I'll hold onto for a long time," Wilkes said. "There was a lot of emotion at that meet and at the conference meet as well. They did a shout out at the end and there was a standing ovation for everything he's done for the program and the conference."
Â
Â
For his part, Boulanger was good friends with Jim Urquhart – the longtime UNH wrestling and lacrosse coach and athletic department administrator who died in 1998 – and said Wilkes is Urquhart's kind of student-athlete.
Â
"Jamie's an individual who has shined," Boulanger said. "He's the type of kid Jimmy would have liked. He came in and took it to the next level. I think he's a good fit for the award. He epitomizes what Jimmy stood for: Work hard, keep improving."
Â
Wilkes turned in impressive times in the 800 (1:49.63 to place fourth in the IC4A/ECAC Championships) and 1500 (3:50.63 to finish third in the America East Championships) this spring.
Â
"I have no complaints about this year," Wilkes said. "It started clicking with the training Coach B and I had drawn up. I'm very pleased how this season has played out. I never would have thought I'd get to 1:50 in the 800, never thought that was going to be a possibility."
Â
Wilkes, who has been involved with various community projects with fellow members of the cross country and track & field teams, surprised himself and the coach.
Â
"He's really done it last year and this year," Boulanger said. "He stepped up both years. His times mean he might have another level he can go to. That's the thing: He took what the program offered him and he got better."
Â
Robert Hoppler, the head coach of the women's cross country team and co-coach of the women's track & field team, called Wilkes an example of Jim Boulanger 101.
Â
"He trained and put his mileage in and every year he's gotten better and better," Hoppler said. "This final year he ran great in cross country and at multiple distances on the track. It's Jim Boulanger 101. It's amazing how Jamie Wilkes has improved. It's fantastic. He's a hard worker in class and on the track and a natural leader. You couldn't ask for anything more."
Â
After the NCAAs it will be on to Boston College for Wilkes.
Â
Wilkes, who worked as a long-term substitute in chemistry this winter at Franklin High School, started out in biochemistry at UNH and switched to chemistry.
Â
"I'm real big into sustainable materials and reusable energy and carbon dioxide reduction," he said. "I'm interested in working in materials chemistry for a greener type science or chemistry, environmental chemistry. I guess I got it from my parents. I've always had an interest in recycling and wanting to make sure we're treating the planet with respect. There's clearly climate change going on. I think the science is pretty hard on that. Hopefully we're able to, if not reverse that, slow it for generations to come."
Â
WATCH THE 2021 SENIOR SHOWCASE
Â
Allen Lessels
@UNHInsider
Allen.Lessels@unh.edu
Â
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Track & Field
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & FieldSunday, October 25
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Sunday, October 25
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