About Speaker Trey Hardee…
Trey’s dreams as a kid never involved him being a track star. As a gifted basketball player, all he ever thought about was playing in the NBA. Trey was a key member of the basketball team throughout middle school, and as a freshman and sophomore in high school. Entering his junior year, he was unexpectedly cut from the varsity team. It was a blow neither Trey nor his family saw coming. As a way of venting some frustration over the situation, he decided to join the track team. Trey’s large frame, coupled with his natural speed and power, made him perfect for the pole vault. His success in the event eventually earned him a scholarship to Mississippi State University. At Mississippi State, Trey was persuaded by his coach to branch out and try the decathlon.
At his very first decathlon in 2003, Trey qualified for the NCAA Championships where he eventually finished 5th. The following year, he was the NCAA runner-up after becoming SEC Champion earlier that season. However, at the end of the 2004 season, Mississippi State dropped their indoor track program and Trey made the decision to transfer to the University of Texas. In his first year at Texas, Trey became NCAA Champion. At the 2008 Olympic Trials, he finished 2nd and secured his place on the US Olympic team bound for Beijing, China. After the 2008 Olympics, Trey was contacted by the NY Jets organization about possibly trying out for the team. They were definitely enticed by his speed, size and ability to catch the football. After little thought, Trey respectfully declined the offer while setting his sights on the 2009 World Championships.
This proved to be the right decision for Trey as he put together one of the best seasons of his career. While winning his very first USA Championship in the decathlon, he qualified for the World Championships in Berlin, Germany. At the World Championships, Trey had the best performance of his career as he took home the gold medal and title of World Champion. In 2010, Hardee took the silver medal in the heptathlon at the World Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar.
As defending decathlon World Champion, Trey had a bye into the 2011 World Championships and did not have to compete at the USA Championships. With expectations high, Trey did not disappoint as he successfully defended his World Championship title making him the third decathlete to ever win back to back World Championships. At the 2012 Olympic Games in London Trey won the silver medal, finishing runner up to US team mate Ashton Eaton.