South Carolina Sprinter Becomes Fast Favorite for Team HOKA in New NIL Deal

HOKA has partnered with their first sprinter for a name, image and likeness deal to kick off relations with student-athletes of all running disciplines.

JaMeesia Ford is elevating her running game as the newest member of Team HOKA, entering her second year as a collegiate athlete with the South Carolina Gamecocks. In her freshman year, Ford wasted no time making her talent known, earning two national titles in the 200 meter race and the 4×400 meter relay.

The NCAA Track and Field world was only just beginning to see what Ford had to offer.

Her partnership with HOKA provides insight into what it took for her to become the athlete that she is today. Regarding the new deal, Ford explained that the collaboration goes to show her accomplishments while also providing enough room to learn and grow in the sport.

In her earlier years, Ford was accomplishing more than any other youth, earning her first two national titles at just 11 years old. She soon realized that her natural talent on the track was more than a skill; it would become her lifestyle.

It is obvious that sprinting is something Ford excels at, but it is also something that Ford resonates with, finds peace with and plans to dominate in.

Team HOKA would be remiss to let such a generational athlete find style elsewhere.

Ford is confident in her style on and off the track, and occasionally speaks out about the confidence that comes from personal style. If you can catch a glimpse of her during a race, Ford often times sports rhinestones on her spikes, a unique call to fashion that she spends hours perfecting.

HOKA’s press release on Ford highlights a comment from the runner, describing why personal style is so important to her while she is breaking records.

“My style is different, and fashion is the way I can show others who I am outside of track,” she explains.

As the newest addition to Team HOKA, Ford will be looking to represent the brand with more national titles, a unique sense of style and personal confidence that will empower runners of all ages and disciplines.

In March, Ford recently fell short of defending her 200-meter title during the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships but is ready to show up and show out during the outdoor season. Come June, HOKA could see their newest star become a national champion, bringing along a new wave of empowerment to track and field, as well as the HOKA name.