It hasn’t taken long for Powell High School alum and track standout Jay Cox to make an impact at the University of Wyoming.

At last month’s Mountain West Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Cox placed fifth overall in the 400 meter dash and ran the lead-off leg for the 4x400 meter relay team that placed sixth.

Heading into the meet, Cox was seeded No. 10 in the standings for the 400 meters, and he made the jump into finals after placing No. 7 in the prelims with a 48.74.

After making finals for the event, Cox went out and ran a personal best time of 48.04 in the finals which earned him the No. 4 fastest time in UW indoor track history.

“It is a huge confidence boost to see that I can hang with some of the best in the Mountain West,” said Cox, a 2020 PHS graduate. “For the longest time I have had this mental barrier that I had to get past every time I ran, and I think that barrier was largely the result of a lack of confidence.” 

Cox is currently listed as a sophomore at the university, but after last year’s indoor season was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, he competed in his first indoor championships this year.

Throughout his freshman year in 2020-21, Cox was met with challenges as most of his classes were online, which did not even allow him to meet most of his professors in person while making the transition to college.

“It was an interesting experience for sure, but I feel that I am a more well-rounded person having faced these new challenges,” Cox said. “On the other side of the coin, being a Division I athlete is essentially a year-round, full-time job. Regardless of COVID, that is a challenging adjustment.”

After earning fifth place at the Mountain West Championships, Cox will now transition to the outdoor track season. The outdoor season is set to start this weekend in Colorado as the Pokes will take part in the Spank Blasing Invite in Pueblo on Friday and Saturday.

After earning his spot at the top of the Mountain West, Cox said he’s worked his way past the mental block, but that it’s not the time to stop.

“Now is not the time to be satisfied with what I have done,” he said. “Now is the time to work towards what I know that I can accomplish in the future.”