Winning the women’s 400-meter dash, placing second in the women’s 200 and contributing to the seventh fastest time in the nation in the women’s 4x100 relay at the Johnny Mathis Invitational on April 2, Kavina Hall leads the SF State track & field team with her fresh and comedic character.

“Kavina’s really bubbly and always has a smile on her face,” said teammate Aziza Bledsoe, 21. “Regardless of how hard our workouts are, she’s always making everyone laugh doing goofy stuff, trying to lighten things up.”

The 4x100 relay team - Whitney Owens, Najma Nuriddin, Bledsoe and Hall – ran an amazing race in 47.19 seconds. Hall also beat her personal records for the 200 in 25.17 and the 400 in 57.35.

“My times are pretty good, considering it’s so early in the season,” Hall said. “I’m really impressed with our (relay) time since we’ve only ran it two times (in competition).”

Teammates describe Hall as a positive force that constantly keeps everyone laughing and pushing for more.

“Kavina’s running off of raw talent,” Bledsoe said. “It’s really phenomenal to see what she can do because she has so much more room for growth.”

“When Kavina lines up for a race, she’s expecting to do well,” said Charles Schneekloth, head coach for SF State’s track & field team. “This is something we are trying to build for our whole team, and she’s jump-starting this culture.”

Hall’s mother and brother said she’s always been a very energetic, outgoing and funny girl growing up and is bringing it to her sport now.

“Even if she loses, she stays positive,” said Andrea Hall, who hasn’t missed one of her daughter’s meets.

Hall grew up between two households - in El Cerrito with her father and brother, and in Fairfield with her mom. Her busy schedule growing up included varsity basketball, track, band and church - three times a week since her father is a pastor.

“Her father has always been more on the education side while I got them (Kavina and her brother, Kevin) into sports and other activities to keep them busy,” Andrea said. “If they are busy, they can’t get bored or get into trouble.”

Hall continues the family legacy of attending SF State with her brother. Kevin played sports throughout high school but chose the academic route once in college. Andrea also ran track for SF State as a student, and said she is very proud of her daughter continuing sports into college.

“I was really surprised that she chose track over basketball because she was really good in high school, but she’s come a long way and is happy her times are good now,” Andrea said.

Schneekloth said her fast times can be attributed to her hard work ethic.

“In track, it’s easy for some people to just run a race and not push themselves to their best, but Kavina runs through brick walls,” Schneekloth said.

“Kavina’s a work-horse,” Kevin said. “She knows what it takes to be successful and will push to the extra limit to achieve what she wants.”

Her family and teammates said they’ve seen Hall grow into a responsible and enthusiastic young woman.

“Kavina’s really improved because she’s adjusted from high school,” said Nuriddin, 20. “She’s more serious, dedicated and focused now thinking about her college career.”

Because Hall is a freshmen with three more years of college eligibility, Schneekloth said he is trying to coach her conservatively, and not to create any overuse injuries, which are common among college athletes.

“She’s been to a few different schools and has had a variety of coaches throughout her sports career,” Schneekloth said. “You have to take these things into consideration when coaching. Give her a year to grow a little more as an athlete, and she will be running even faster.”

Hall will compete April 16 at the Woody Wilson Invitational in Davis and next weekend April 22-23 at the Triton Invitational in La Jolla, but she said she really looks toward nationals as the ultimate goal for the season.

“I really want to make it to nationals,” Hall said. “That would really mean a lot for me.”