Ruth Usoro completed her sweep of the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships in the triple jump when she hopped, stepped and jumped 14.19m to win at the outdoor championship on Saturday.
“It was a fun day today,” said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Wes Kittley. “It was good to get a national champion in Ruth, who’s now a two-time national champion this year.”
In her first full year competing at Texas Tech, Usoro completed the indoor/outdoor sweep of the NCAA triple jump, just as she did at the Big 12 level. Usoro’s winning jump came in at 14.19m.
Usoro’s indoor title was the first triple jump championship in any environment ever won by a Red Raider and second overall including Bryce Lamb’s title in 2013 indoor. This outdoor championship is the first outdoor triple jump title by any Red Raider in school history.
From her very first meet in January, the Corky Classic, where she took the world lead in the triple jump on her first attempt of the year, to June, where she would complete her sweep of the NCAA titles in the event, Usoro was undefeated in the triple jump. Big meet or small, title on the line or not, Usoro went a perfect 12-0 in triple jump competitions this year.
“Before we got to the track, we worked on my technique,” Usoro said. “When I went for that jump and saw 14.19 meters, I was excited because I have not jumped 14 meters since Big 12. To do 14.19 with the crowd cheering and my coaches and teammates screaming my name – it was an incredible moment.”
“Ruth’s got to be right up there in terms of the best we’ve ever had, especially in her event,” said Kittley. “The thing that makes her stand apart is that, when it’s show time, she knows how to compete. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her more on her mark than today. Every mark wasn’t fantastic, but she was so consistent and in her rhythm.
Usoro has already met the Olympic standard in both the long and triple jump.