Privateers Feature: Trinity Jackson

Trinity Jackson came to the Lakefront from a time zone away with a decorated high school career. The freshman from Colorado Springs was part of two state championships at Lewis-Palmer High School and earned All-Conference and All-State accolades during her time as a Ranger. But wait, there's more: Trinity also earned Newcomer of the Year at her club, Colorado Juniors.
 
For Jackson, her athletic background runs deep. One of five siblings, Trinity has seen her older siblings go through the collegiate student-athlete experience. Her older brother, Cole played football at Minnesota-Crookston and Grandview. Her older sister, Bailee played collegiate volleyball at Coppin State where she was second on her team in kills and digs as a senior.
 
And let's not forget about her father, Kevin who accomplished one of the greatest athletic achievements in the world: winning a gold medal in wrestling at the Barcelona Summer Games in 1992.
 
Recently, Kevin was one of seven new inductees into the LSU Hall of Fame after he spent three years in Baton Rouge. He finished his college wrestling career at Iowa State. A two-time world champion as well, Kevin is currently a developmental coach for USA Wrestling in Colorado Springs after enjoying a decorated career that spanned the globe.
 
"It was huge seeing my dad inducted into the LSU Hall of Fame. My dad has been into many Halls of Fame but this one hit harder because all of his kids are grown so we all got to experience how special it was."
 
Trinity's coach, Millicent Van Norden noticed right away the teachings and surroundings that have translated to the volleyball court for Trinity.
 
"It's always important for us to find student-athletes who know what they're getting into and know what's going to be expected them. When we were recruiting Trinity, that gave us an added bonus in regard to where we thought she would go and how high her ceiling is."
 
Coach Van Norden also has a vision of what Trinity's energy and passion can lead to, for her and for the program.
 
"Trinity is still growing and we consider her our energy leader. She's definitely going to be a spark plug for this program and we're excited about what she can do. She adds so much value from the time she committed to us. We're looking forward to having her here with us and hopefully getting her into the UNO Hall of Fame one day.
 
If you ask Trinity, her athletic background and having family members who have been in her position is something that a quantitative value can't be placed on.
 
"Part of it comes from my siblings. We're a sports-oriented family and my dad would always talk to me about the mental game and being able to control that."
 
For Trinity, her biggest inspirations come from her older sister, who played the same sport. It gave her a degree of what to expect as she moved to a new place over 1,200 miles away from where she was at this time a year ago.
 
"The biggest lesson I learned growing up is to work hard and going 100 percent every time."

Shortly after she arrived on the Lakefront, Trinity has become an integral part of a large freshman class (seven total). Her first double-double came in the fifth match of the season against Southern Miss, a 12-kill, 12-dig performance in a 3-0 victory.
 
Fans of the Privateer volleyball program have seen the blend of youth with experience at every position on the court lead to this point. And there's much more to come for the program and for Trinity.
 
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