by Shawn Nowlin
As a freshman, Marcellus Fletcher thought of some goals that he wanted to accomplish during his high school career. Some of them included: stay on task and remain focused, win a state championship at William Byrd High, and reach his full potential as an athlete. At the time his favorite sport was football.
“When I was a freshman I didn’t think that I would be good at any other sport…my main focus was on the gridiron,” he said.
Fast forward to today and Fletcher, now a senior, has developed into one of the best track and field preps in the country. He is currently the number one ranked male triple jumper on the high school level and nationally ranked in many other track and field events.
Recently Fletcher earned an invitation to the prestigious Virginia Tech High School Invitational which featured approximately 175 schools across the Mid-Atlantic region.
In a field that included some of the best athletes in the country, it was Marcellus who won both the triple jump and long jump events.
“What I love about track is that I compete in individual events so win or lose it’s all on me,” he said. “I wanted to leave it all out on the field (Hokie Rector Field House) and fortunately I was able to have some success.”
The decision to commit full time to track & field has paid huge dividends for Fletcher whose talents have also afforded him great opportunities. In summer of 2014 he represented the United States at an international meet in Brisbane, Australia where he won the triple jump event.
“I always tell him that when he walks out of the door, keep three things in mind,” said his mother Germaine Fletcher. “Bring no shame to your name, your community and your grandmother.”
Eric Royal, Fletcher’s outdoor coach, is another who’s had a profound impact on this star athlete’s life. Marcellus says that their relationship is really strong and he can talk to Coach Royal about anything. History is flooded with stories of greatness launched from the encouragement and support of family, extended family and others who strengthen through relationships that empower.
Fletcher has built quite an impressive high school resume over the last four years: Group 3A Champ, no. 1 ranked triple jump performer in the country, 2-time outdoor state title, among others. The primary objective of most high school athletes is to earn a full scholarship to a college, however, less than 6% (according to scholarshipstats.com) go on to compete in college. If all goes according to plan, in the fall semester Fletcher will be either a Tennessee Volunteer, Ole Miss Rebel or Miami (FL) Hurricane–three schools he’s most focused on. Despite his success on the field, Fletcher remains a humble kid by all accounts.
“He has grown up to be an outstanding young man,” said Fletcher’s mother who traveled with him on March 13 to the 2015 New Balance Indoor National Championship meet held at the NB Armory in NYC. There, Fletcher placed 4th in the Long Jump (23.5.50) and 2nd in the Triple Jump (50.10.25).
