Jacory Patterson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jacory Patterson

Patterson running the 4x400m at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships
Personal information
Nationality	American
Born	(2000-02-02) February 2, 2000 (age 25)
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Sprints
College team	Virginia Tech Hokies (2019–2021) Florida Gators (2022)
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	Outdoor 100 m: 10.11 (2022) 200 m: 20.20 (2022) 400 m: 44.81 (2021) Indoor 60 m: 6.68 (2022) 200 m: 20.62 (2021) 300 m: 31.99 (2022) CR 400 m: 45.14 (2021)

Jacory Patterson (born February 2, 2000) is an American track and field athlete. He is known for his amazing speed in sprinting events. Jacory was born in Columbia, South Carolina.

He first won a gold medal in the long jump at the 2016 USATF Junior Olympics. Later, he decided to focus on sprinting. While attending Dreher High School, he broke a state record in the 200 m race. He also won a state championship in the 400 m.

As a college freshman at Virginia Tech in 2019, Jacory set a world record for athletes under 20 in the indoor 300 m. He won six championships in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) at Virginia Tech. In 2022, he set a college record in the indoor 300 m. This made him one of the fastest men ever in that event.

Jacory's Early Life and School

Jacory Patterson was born in Columbia, South Carolina, on February 2, 2000. His parents are Jamey Patterson and Charlene Bolton. He started track and field in sixth grade. He realized he was always the fastest kid on the playground.

He went to Dreher High School. There, he played both track and field and basketball. He stopped playing basketball after tenth grade. He saw that he had a lot more talent in track.

In 2016, Jacory won the long jump at the USATF Junior Olympics. As a senior in 2018, he won the South Carolina 4A state title in the 400 m. He broke the state record in the 200 m. He also set new school records in the 100 m, 400 m, long jump, and triple jump.

Jacory chose to attend Virginia Tech. He had also considered LSU, Iowa, South Carolina, and Clemson.

College Track Career

Jacory Patterson competed for two different college teams. He started with the Virginia Tech Hokies. Then he moved to the Florida Gators.

Time at Virginia Tech

Jacory ran for the Virginia Tech Hokies from 2019 to 2021. During this time, he won six championships in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

2019 Indoor Season

When Jacory started college, he thought long jump was his best event. But his coach, Tim Vaught, suggested he focus on sprinting. In his very first college race on January 11, Jacory broke the world record for athletes under 20 in the indoor 300 m. His time was 32.49 seconds. This was the second-fastest time ever in college indoor history.

His coach knew then that Jacory's jumping career was over. Jacory was named the best male college athlete of the week for his amazing performance. Two weeks later, he set a school record in the indoor 200 m. He ran it in 20.84 seconds. On February 1, he broke another school record in the indoor 400 m with a time of 46.14 seconds.

Jacory won the 400 m title at the ACC Indoor Championships. He set a new school record of 46.04 seconds. He was the first Virginia Tech athlete to win this indoor conference title. He competed at the NCAA Indoor Championships. However, he could not finish his race after bumping into another runner.

2019 Outdoor Season

In his first outdoor meet, Jacory set a school record in the 400 m. His time of 45.76 seconds was almost a full second faster than the old record. In April, he won the 200 m race at the Tennessee Relays. He also won the 400 m race at the War Eagle Invitational.

At the ACC Outdoor Championships, Jacory won the 400 m title. He placed second in the 200 m. He also helped his team finish second in the 4 × 100 m relay. They set a school record of 39.46 seconds. Jacory also ran the last part of the 4 × 400 m relay team, which finished fourth. At the NCAA preliminary races, Jacory improved his 400 m school record to 45.46 seconds. He also helped set a new school record in the 4 × 100 m relay with a time of 39.24 seconds.

2020 Indoor Season

Jacory started the season by setting a college record in the indoor 300 m. He ran 32.28 seconds at the Virginia Tech Invitational. This broke the old record set in 2010. At the same meet, he helped his 4 × 400 m relay team set a school record of 3:09.28. In February, Jacory broke his own school record in the indoor 400 m. He ran 45.75 seconds.

He improved this record again at the ACC Indoor Championships. He ran 45.66 seconds to win the 400 m title. This also qualified him for the NCAA Indoor Championships. He won a silver medal with his 4 × 400 m relay team. However, the national championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021 Indoor Season

After the 2020 outdoor season was canceled, Jacory started the indoor season strong. He took first place in the 300 m at the Virginia Tech Invitational. His winning time of 32.61 seconds was the best indoor performance by an American in 2021. In February, Jacory set a new school and conference record in the 400 m. He ran 45.24 seconds for a second-place finish. He also helped his 4 × 400 m relay team set a new school record of 3:07.64.

Jacory won both the 200 m and 400 m titles at the ACC Indoor Championships. He set a school record of 20.62 seconds in the 200 m. He also set a meet record of 45.38 seconds in the 400 m. He became one of only four male sprinters in ACC history to win both the 200 m and 400 m at the conference championships. Jacory won a bronze medal in the 400 m at the NCAA Indoor Championships. He broke his own ACC record with a time of 45.14 seconds. He was named the ACC Men's Indoor Track Performer of the Year.

2021 Outdoor Season

At the Florida Relays on April 3, Jacory became the first Virginia Tech athlete to run the 400 m in under 45 seconds. He clocked 44.81 seconds for a second-place finish. At the ACC Outdoor Championships, he won gold in the 400 m. He also won gold with the 4 × 400 m relay team. This team was the first 4 × 400 m team in school history to win an outdoor conference title.

Jacory qualified for both events at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. However, he decided to transfer to the University of Florida just days before the competition. Jacory also competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. He reached the 400 m semifinals before being eliminated.

Time at Florida

Jacory Patterson competed for the Florida Gators in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during his senior year in 2022.

2022 Indoor Season

In his first race for Florida, Jacory won the Clemson Invitational in 31.99 seconds. He improved his own 300 m college record. He also set a personal best in the 60 m with a time of 6.68 seconds. At the Bob Pollock Invitational, Jacory won the 400 m race. He also ran the first part of the gold medal-winning 4 × 400 m relay team. They set a new NCAA leading time of 3:03.21.

Two weeks later, he won the 200 m event. He also ran the last part of the 4 × 400 m relay team. They set a new world-leading performance of 3:02.09. At the SEC Indoor Championships, Jacory finished fourth in the 400 m. He then helped the 4 × 400 m relay team win a silver medal. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, he finished fifth in the 400 m and seventh in the 4 × 400 m relay. Jacory was named an indoor first-team All-American for both events.

2022 Outdoor Season

At the season-opening Texas Relays, Jacory and his teammates recorded the second-fastest 4 × 200 m relay time in school history. On April 1, he ran a personal best time of 20.20 seconds to win his 200 m heat. This tied for the NCAA lead. Two weeks later, Jacory set a new 100 m personal best in 10.11 seconds. He also ran the last part of the 4 × 400 m relay team. They set a new college record of 2:58.53. This team was the first college team ever to run under 2:59.00.

Achievements and Best Times

Here are some of Jacory Patterson's best times and achievements in track and field. All information comes from his World Athletics profile.

Personal Best Times

These are the fastest times Jacory has ever run in different events.

National Championships Results

These tables show how Jacory performed in important national competitions.