A Leap of Faith
Joseph Haynes journey from the shores of Ireland to the beaches of Boca Raton
By: Bryan Ryder
Staff Writer Bryder@email.lynn.edu
Growing up in Northern Ireland, Joseph Haynes always had a passion for sport. Now this rising Lynn freshman hopes to make a big splash in his first track season.
Coming from across the pond, Haynes came from humble beginnings growing up in the town of Armagh. Whether it was avoiding tackles on the rugby pitch or dribbling through defenders on the football (soccer) field, Haynes had an active childhood. Until one fateful summer, Haynes’s father Mark could see he needed to give his son a bit of a push to get active again.
“Over the summer going into my first year of secondary school my dad kind of forced me to go to the local athletics club after I had been sitting around playing too many video games,” said Joesph Haynes, freshman on the Lynn University track team. “It turns out I had some natural talent for running, I really enjoyed it and from that day forward I haven’t stopped.”
Haynes progressed slowly year after year until eventually he had risen to the junior ranks and earned the opportunity to represent Ireland at the British schools’ championships in 2015. Haynes was thrilled to be representing his country on the international stage and the experience opened his eyes to how good he could be.
“British school champs was a big eye-opener for me, it was my first time at a big international competition,” said Haynes. “I got to compete against some of the best runners in the UK, and the depth of competition there really made me realize I still had a lot of work to do in order to breakthrough to the next level,” said Haynes.
Under the watchful eye of his father, Haynes continued to see success and eventually found his primary event, the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Through the good times and the bad Haynes kept putting in the miles and continued to see success. Haynes was eager to continue his development as an athlete and thought coming to school in America would be his best option.
“It was always a dream of mine to come to the states, I went through the process by myself, and it was just endless messaging back and forth with coaches until I found the right one,” said Haynes. “Other factors came into play obviously like school cost, scholarships, the team, and how the area fitted with my liking, and before I knew it, I committed to Lynn.”
Now preparing for his first track season as a fighting knight, Haynes has big goals with hopes of hitting some big personal bests. But right now, he’s just taking it day by day focusing on progressing his training slowly.
“I’d love to run under 9:30 for the 3k steeple and sub 4 for the 1500 but I am just taking it day by day session by session because I am a freshman and I know I will have so many more opportunities,” said Haynes.
Be sure to watch out for Haynes and the rest of our Lynn Fighting Knights as men’s and women’s track race this season by attending one of the teams races this spring. Visit—— to learn when the teams next track meet is.