Former Delta athlete hopes courage pays off

By Bob Highfill, Record Sports Editor

STOCKTON — Dwayne Lee could barely walk the day prior to the long jump competition at the California Community College Athletic Association Track and Field Championships last month.

But the 19-year-old Stockton resident summoned the courage and put aside the pain. On May 15 at San Mateo College, Lee landed 23 feet, 10.5 inches from the take-off board to win the state championship. There to cheer him on were friends and teammates, including Eric Sloan, a USC-bound track and field standout and Lee's good friend from their days together at Bear Creek High and Delta.

"The only thing that had me going was the people in the crowd," Lee said. "I wasn't planning to go that day. I wasn't even going to get on the bus, but there were people there that helped me."

Lee didn't want to let down those who helped support him. That's why he risked further injuring his right hamstring, which he initially tweaked last season then re-injured at the NorCal Finals the week before to the state meet. Lee took a calculated risk. Had he exacerbated the injury, his chances of being recruited to a four-year institution might have suffered. But Lee believed a good mark might enhance his chances at a scholarship. So, he went for it and by being successful, he has some offers to consider.

"I got a couple calls from schools that weren't looking at me before," Lee said, "and I might be going to one of those schools."

Lee hopes to decide on a college later this month. From an early age, he knew his path to further his education would depend greatly on financial aide through athletics and academics.

"It hasn't always been easy," Lee said. "Money's always been an issue. That's why a scholarship is kind of mandatory."

Basketball was Lee's passion. He played guard at Bear Creek and led the Bruins to their first playoff victory his senior season, when he averaged 18.5 points per game and was named co-most valuable player of the San Joaquin Athletic Association. Last season at Delta, Lee averaged a team-high 16.3 points and started in all 29 games. At both schools, Lee competed in track and field. His senior year at Bear Creek, he went to the state meet in the long jump and set a Bruin Invitational meet record in the long jump of 23-4.

"I didn't have very many schools that were offering me for basketball, which is my first sport," Lee said. "I wanted to further my education and track was kind of secondary, but it's fun and I like doing track. I grew to love track more and more."

Sloan and Lee have pushed and encouraged each other. Each credits the other for helping him achieve.

"We definitely got close to where we were like brothers," said Sloan, the 2014 CCCAA triple jump champion. "He definitely taught me a lot things, too, and pushed me a lot during competition. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have jumped as far."

Lee said people have been asking him every day where his next challenge will take him. He hopes to have an answer — soon.

http://www.recordnet.com/article/20150602/SPORTS/150609890/-1/A_BIZ