Darek Hackett

Photo by: Nate Barrett Photography

Photo by: Ginnie Coleman

Photo by: Rayna Schmidt

Photo by: Justin Tafoya, NCAA Photos

Photo by: Grace Bradley, NCAA Photos

Photo by: Justin Pacheco

Photo by: Isaiah Vasquez, NCAA Photos

Class:
Sophomore
Events:
Hurdles
Hometown:
Houston, Texas
Height:
5-10
High School:
Ridge Point
Squadron:
09 Viking Nine

AIR FORCE HIGHLIGHTS

NCAA Semifinalist, 400-Meter Hurdles (2024)

NCAA Qualifier, 400-Meter Hurdles (2022, 2023, 2024)

Mountain West Champion, 400-Meter Hurdles (2023, 2024)

Mountain West Champion, Distance Medley Relay (2023)

Air Force Record Holder, 400-Meter Hurdles (50.03)

SOPHOMORE YEAR | 2022-23: Two-time Mountain West champion…NCAA quarterfinalist in the 400-meter hurdles…qualified to the national meet in that event for the second-straight year…four-time all-conference honoree…ran the second-fastest 400-meter hurdles in Academy history during a 50.76 performance in the opening round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships…that time is also a new Air Force Sophomore Class Record…used a then-best time of 51.22 (No. 3 all-time) to win the Mountain West Outdoor Championships…led Air Force to a 1-2 finish in that event and became just the third Falcon to win a conference title in the intermediate hurdles…also scored for the Falcons in the 110-meter hurdles (fourth, career-best 14.21) and 4x400-meter relay (third) at the MW Outdoor meet…that high hurdles time is tied for No. 16 on the Academy’s all-time standings…ran the sprint leg of the distance medley relay that used the fourth-fastest time in program history (9:32.50, adjusted for altitude) to win the conference title at the MW Indoor Championships…also ran on the 4x400-meter relay that finished second with an Air Force Top 10 time of 3:12.68 (No. 10)…scored for the Falcons in the 60-meter hurdles after clocking a career-best time of 8.08 (No. 23 all-time) to finish fourth…matched then-best of 8.10 during preliminary round of the conference meet…finished third in the hurdles at the Ralph Lindeman Invitational (8.13)…shared the team’s Laura Piper Ironman Award.

FRESHMAN YEAR | 2021-22: NCAA Qualifier in the 400-meter hurdles…earned all-conference honors in that event after finishing second at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships (51.88)…clocked an Air Force Freshman Class Record of 51.59 to win the 400-meter hurdles at the Air Force Twilight Open…that is the sixth-fastest time in Academy history…runner-up in event debut at the Aztec Invitational…also entered the program’s Top 25 in the 110-meter hurdles at the Twilight Open (14.48, No. 23 all-time)…led off the 4x100-meter relay that finished third at the Beach Invitational and ran on both 4x400-meter relays that earned scoring finishes at the MW Championships (second leg at indoors, anchor at outdoors)…debuted at No. 24 on the Academy’s all-time standings in the 60-meter hurdles with a runner-up time of 8.10 at the Invitational at the Peak meet.

HIGH SCHOOL: Ridge Point High School…nation’s No. 3-ranked senior in the 110-meter hurdles (13.80) in 2020…No. 1-ranked senior in Texas that year…also ranked among the nation’s top 10 in the 300-meter hurdles (37.35)…set school records in both hurdle events…state qualifier…graduated Magna Cum Laude…ranked 110th out of 750 seniors in Texas 6A.

PERSONAL: Full name is Darek Alexander Hackett…nickname is “D”…son of Darell Hackett and Adrian Brown…has two sisters (one older, one younger)…majoring in management…future plans include becoming an acquisitions officer in the Space Force…currently serving as an Athletics NCOI…attended the Academy’s Prep School…earned the military performance pin…hobbies include regular lifting, watching Netflix and sleeping…can freestyle…traveled to Vandenberg SFB, Calif., over the summer for Ops…also held a support role during Combat Survival Training, working in warehouse inventory and TOC shifts…member of Cadet Squadron 09.