BLACKSBURG — His name is Judson Lincoln IV.
An investment banker? A lawyer?
In fact, he’s a standout athlete on Virginia Tech’s track and field team and a likely contender for a medal at this week’s NCAA outdoor championships.
“Some of my friends joke that with a name like that, you must be a good athlete,” he said in an interview last week. “I’m really proud to have the name. … It’s unique. It’s not a name you hear often, so I think when you hear it, you’ll remember it.”
His name was heard quite a bit at last month’s ACC Outdoor Championships, where the sophomore won the 400 and 200 meters and was part of the winning 4×400 relay team. Lincoln, who helped Tech to a second-place team finish, was named the ACC men’s track and field Most Outstanding Athlete of the Tournament.
Anyone else reading this…
He will compete in the 400 meters and 4×400 meter relay at the NCAA Championships in Oregon this week, then return to Oregon later this month to compete in the 400 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
It’s been a breakout year for Lincoln, finishing third in the 400 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March.
“He has a tremendous drive and determination to be the best,” Tech director of track and field and cross country Dave Cianelli said, “and I think he can be one of the best athletes in the world.”
“He’s more talented than anyone in America.”
Disqualification
Lincoln’s father ran the mile in high school and his mother was a high school sprinter, and both became track coaches.
Not surprisingly, Lincoln has been running competitively since he was 9 years old.
“I always [the track]” said Lincoln, who grew up in Maryland.
During his senior year of high school, Lincoln emailed Virginia Tech and other colleges in hopes of gaining admission.
Tech’s coaches watched his tape and saw potential.
“I had no idea he was going to be this good,” Cianelli said.
Lincoln said Tech offered him a full scholarship for his final three years of college, but not his freshman year.
He decided to enroll at Tech during the winter of his senior year of high school. Due to his improved grades in high school, his scholarship was upgraded to a partial scholarship for his freshman year. After the fall semester of his freshman year at Tech, his scholarship was upgraded to a full scholarship.
Lincoln failed to qualify for the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships as a freshman, and also failed to win an ACC title.
Well, he did win one ACC title last year, but it was short-lived: He won the 400m at the 2023 ACC Outdoor Championships, but was disqualified for taunting a Clemson rival after the final.
“There was some issue with the Clemson guy. [in the prelims] “That affected me,” Lincoln said. “I was yelling at him. [after the final]he was yelling back at me.”
Cianelli protested the disqualification but said it was a “matter of judgment.”
“In our sports, when we talk about unsportsmanlike conduct, it’s very vague,” Cianelli said. “In sports like basketball and soccer, you see that talk happening all the time.”
Cianelli told Lincoln that it was just a bad moment and that Lincoln would go on to be a great man.
“I really appreciated that he believed in me when I was at my lowest, and I think a lot of other coaches did too. [given] “He came up to me,” Lincoln said.
Lincoln had a disappointing freshman season, but bounced back in July by winning the 400 meters at the U.S. Under-20 Championships in Oregon in 45.47 seconds.
“I had a terrible college season and I had no intention of running there,” he said, “but my dad convinced me that this was a good opportunity.”
“Looking back now, I feel like I’ve got the momentum going this year to win some big races. Once you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything.”
“A great day”
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Lincoln won the 400 meters at the ACC Indoor Championships in February in 45.70 seconds and was not disqualified this time.
“I got back what I lost,” he said.
He also helped Tech win its first ever 4×400 relay at the ACC Indoor Meet, with the foursome’s time of 3:06.00 being a meet record.
Lincoln has served as the anchor for relay teams at indoor and outdoor meets, and he likes being the last runner to receive the baton.
“I want to take it into my own hands, whether I win or lose,” he said. “It’s just like when I was playing basketball. I want to make the last shot.”
He won the bronze medal in the 400 meters (45.57) at the NCAA Indoor Championships and was named to the All-American team.
“I have a much clearer mindset this year,” he said. “I still have some stress and tension in my back, but it’s not overwhelming like it was last year.”
Lincoln continues to shine during the outdoor season.
He ran the 400 meters in 45.2 seconds at a meet in April in Florida, earning an automatic berth in the Olympic Trials.
At the ACC Outdoor Championships on May 11, he won the 400 meters in 44.60 seconds, breaking school and meet records and opening his performance as MVP.
“I’m the best athlete,” he said. “I can handle the pain better than anybody else, because those last 100 miles are going to hurt.” [meters of the race]”You have to sprint and run fast for 400 meters. … Do you fight and deal with that pain or do you let it defeat you?”
He also won the 200 meters at that meet with a time of 20.51 seconds.
“It was not an easy double,” Cianelli said of Lincoln’s wins in the 200 and 400 meters at the meet. “He did it like a pro.”
Lincoln also helped Tech win the 4×400 relay at the meet, with the foursome finishing in a time of 3:03.35.
“He’s gotten a lot stronger this year, so he won the 200 and then had a great relay race,” Cianelli said. “It was a great day for him.”
The NCAA Eastern Tournament was held in Kentucky in late May, and athletes must perform well there to advance to the NCAA National Outdoor Championships. Lincoln did not compete in the 200 meters, not wanting to spread himself too thin.
He placed second overall in the 400 meters with a time of 44.55 seconds. Not only did he break his own school record, he also broke the ACC outdoor record that was set 30 years ago.
“Seeing 44.5 seconds next to my name feels a bit weird because two years ago I was struggling to run in the mid-46s,” he said. “My freshman and sophomore years of high school I was running in the 49s and 50s.
“it was [a matter of] It’s about persevering and continuing to work hard.”
Lincoln also helped the 4×400 relay team qualify for the NCAA National Championships. The four placed seventh overall at the NCAA Eastern Meet with a time of 3:02.54. Lincoln ran the anchor leg in 43.45 seconds.
“This is hands down the fastest collegiate race I’ve ever seen,” Cianelli said.
The NCAA outdoor championships run from Wednesday through Saturday. Lincoln, who ran 44.55 seconds at the NCAA Eastern Conference meet, is seeded No. 2 in the 400 among 24 qualifiers.
The U.S. Olympic Trials will be held in Oregon from June 21-30. Hudson will need to finish in the top three at the trials to make the Olympic team in the 400 meters. If she finishes in the top eight, she will be a candidate for the 4×400 meter relay at the Olympics.
Lincoln is ranked fifth in the country in the 400 meters this year with a time of 44.55 seconds, so he thinks he has a chance to make the Olympic team.
“Once you’re there, it’s yours,” he says, “and you have nothing to lose. You’re a 19-year-old college student.”
So this week’s NCAAs could just be the start of a memorable summer for Lincoln.
“It’s just the beginning,” he said.
