Logan Allen: Breaking Records and Looking Toward the Future

By Chris Warren
For msuspartans.com

Graduate student Logan Allen finished his Michigan State track and field career with a few record-breaking performances during his final indoor season. These feats are made even more impressive considering he was juggling class, track, and his growing modeling career.

He began modeling during his senior year of college after One Management modeling agency messaged him on Instagram, saying they liked his look and wanted to meet. Allen never anticipated getting into modeling like his dad, but he began modeling for companies such as Champs Sports, JD Sports and Abercrombie and Fitch during his senior year.

"I was really intrigued because my dad was a model, and I really wanted to see if it could work out for me," Allen said. "They told me to meet them in Chicago and take a couple digitals, and they will then decide if they want me. On the train ride back, I got an email and they had accepted me."

At the same time, he was also beginning to hit his stride on the track, with his eyes set on MSU's indoor 60-meter hurdles record, which seemed to be in reach. He fell short of breaking the record during his senior year, but was able to finally break it during the indoor season of his graduate year. He initially broke the record at the first meet of the season, the Grand Valley State Holiday Open, on Dec. 5. He came in second, finishing at 7.77 seconds. He then broke his record-setting time, earning a new mark of 7.75 seconds at the Heartland Invitational on Feb. 14.

"When I first beat the record it was at the Grand Valley meet, so I wasn't expecting to do it at the first meet," Allen said. "I remember crossing the finish line and I thought I had run a slow time because the race did not feel good. Then I walked over to my coach and she was like, 'You beat the record!'"

Allen was born in Waterford, Michigan and graduated from Orchard Lake St. Mary's High School in 2021. He started track and field in elementary school, but didn't get into hurdles until 7th grade, after his coach insisted he try them. Though he suffered many falls while learning how to jump hurdles, his hard work began to pay off when he won the state indoor championship at 60-meters during his junior year of high school.

After that major accomplishment, Allen realized he wanted to pursue track at the collegiate level. His high school coach reached out to the coaches at MSU during his senior year of high school, and he eventually received an offer from them which he would almost immediately accept. Unfortunately, he would not end his high school track career the way he wanted to, tearing his right hamstring during the outdoor state championship his senior year. That injury would affect him going into his freshman year at MSU, with other injuries hindering him as well.

"My freshman year I was getting a lot of injuries," Allen said. "There was one day we were practicing hurdles and I fell and slammed my left ankle down. I ended up suffering a left ankle sprain and lost the rest of my indoor season. That ended up throwing me off my sophomore year because I kind of had to relearn all these hurdle skills, and I didn't start up again until about a month before indoor my sophomore year."

MSU sprinting and hurdles Coach Yolanda Johnson worked hard with Allen during their five years together. She helped him make the adjustment from 39-inch hurdles in high school to 42-inch hurdles in college. She also helped him regain his confidence after injuries derailed much of his first two seasons, playing a big role in him finally breaking the 60-meter hurdles school record.

"Sometimes records are the last thing on my mind," Johnson said. "This has been something Logan has been chasing, so I wanted to put it in the back of his mind so we didn't become so focused on breaking the record that we messed up and never broke the record."

Allen almost didn't get the perfect ending to his MSU track and field career, with his eligibility status up in the air until right before the beginning of the indoor season. After missing a majority of his freshman indoor season due to his left ankle sprain, he was expecting to get one more season of eligibility to compete in the indoor season during his graduate year.

He wrote a letter to the NCAA inquiring about getting that season back and it took months before he finally knew for sure that he had gained a season of eligibility. After not knowing for so long if he would get another chance to beat the record, he seized the opportunity when it presented itself.

"I was sad that it took that many years for me to get to what I wanted to be, but what I started to realize was that I can't be so worried about what this hurdle could do to me," Allen said. "I just have to run it over, I have to run through it. With that mentality I started to get the times I wanted to, and for the rest of my career I ran with this idea of dominating and I think it really elevated my ability on the track."

Now that his track and field career is officially over, Allen hopes to do modeling full time and take it as far as it will lead him. Just recently, he was invited to do a photoshoot in Los Angeles where One Management is looking to make him a Nike model. Even though she is no longer his coach, Johnson still remains one of his biggest supporters as Allen pursues the next stages of his life.

"He should never forget who he is," Johnson said. "There are going to be expectations for him and there's going to be ups and downs. I just want him to remember that he's been through a lot and he's landed on his feet. So go after and get what you want, know that there's going to be failure, but know that there's also going to be greatness that's going to come out of this."

Michigan State University Athletics

Logan Allen: Breaking Records and Looking Toward the Future

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