Tequan Claitt: #1 NCAA High Jump



BOWLING GREEN, Ky. --

Eastern Kentucky University sophomore Tequan Claitt recorded the No. 1 high jump in the NCAA on Saturday at WKU's Hilltopper Relays, shattering a 35-year old school record with a leap of 7-5.75 (2.28 meters).

The previous school record was 7-5, set by Ken Glover in 1982. Glover was the NCAA runner-up in the high jump that year.

Claitt -- a graduate of Bryan Station High School in Lexington -- was the 2016 OVC indoor and outdoor high jump champion. He took silver at the 2017 OVC Indoor Championships in February with a then-personal best mark of 7-1.75.

Claitt is now ranked above the likes of Southern Cal's defending national champion Randall Cunningham (7-3) and Texas Tech All-American Trey Culver (7-4.25).

Two other Colonels also won events at the Charles M. Rueter Track and Field Complex over the weekend. Junior Tom Koringo took first in the men's 800 meters with a time of 1:52.9 (No. 6 in the OVC). Sophomore Erick Rotich, meanwhile, won the men's 3,000 meters in 8:39.11.

Other notable performances from the weekend included junior Darrian Botts finishing fourth in the women's triple jump with a leap of 38-0.75 (No. 11 in the OVC) and freshman Ke'Asia Johnson-Bell placing eighth in the women's 100-meter hurdles with a 14.33 (No. 7 in the OVC).

The two day meet featured more than 500 athletes and 21 schools, including WKU, Northern Kentucky, Belmont, Austin Peay, Tennessee Tech and Xavier.

EKU returns to action next Friday at the Centre Twilight in Danville.


Tequan Claitt from the 2014 Lafayette High School All Comers meet.