Travon Godette joins the program this year as an assistant hurdles and vertical jumps coach, his first with the McNeese program.
Godette is a Westfield State University Alumnus from Orange, Massachusetts with a B.A. in English and extensive studies done in Secondary Education and EGST.
While studying to become a teacher, he made academic excellence one of his top priorities as board member of two different honor societies at Westfield. He was the Secondary Liaison for the Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society as well as the President of Public Relations for the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society.
Despite taking on multiple roles in the campus community, Godette was named NCAA DIII CoSIDA Academic All-American and made the USTFCCCA DIII All-Academic Team last year.
He also became decorated with awards including the NCAA DIII Scholar Athlete of the Year Award, the MASCAC Scholar Athlete of the Year Award, the Westfield State Presidential Award, and the Massachusetts “29 Who Shine” Award, which was presented to only 29 students by Governor Charlie Baker for being outstanding individuals who show exceptional promise as future leaders in civic affairs and professional activities.
He was also named a WSU Sankofa Scholar in 2016, an Arthur Ashe Jr. Second Team Sports Scholar in 2015, and a Stephen Phillips Memorial Scholarship recipient in 2015 for displaying strong academic achievement, excellent character, and a true desire to help others in his school, the community, and at home.
Travon’s career on the track paralleled his hard work in the classroom.
In 2015, he became the first ever male National Champion in the history of Westfield State’s track and field program. Along the way, he also earned himself three All-American titles, five National Championship appearances, and three school records in javelin, high jump, and the decathlon.
He capped off his senior year by being named the NCAA DIII Field Athlete of the Year, the DIII New England Sebasteanski Field MVP, the John Kurty Athletics Award recipient, and WSU Field Athlete of the Year for the third consecutive year.
Throughout his career as an owl, he was recorded as a two-time All New England Champion, four-time DIII New England Champion, three-time New England Alliance Champion, and eight-time Mascac Conference Champion. In addition to these individual feats, Godette also helped his team capture five Mascac Conference Championships, a New England Alliance Championship, and a third place finish at the 2016 New England DIII Men’s Outdoor Championships, which was the team’s best finish since 1989.
While coaching for McNeese State University, Godette will also be earning his M.F.A. and M.A. in Poetry and Literature as well as working in both the Writing to Excellence Center and the Literature Lab on campus as a tutor and a reading mentor.
