Alabama Track and Field’s Shelby McEwen Wins the NCAA Indoor High Jump
3/9/2019 3:58:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
The junior won the Crimson Tide’s first men’s indoor high jump title and just the second NCAA high jump championship, following Jeff Woodard’s 1980 outdoor title
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama track and field junior Shelby McEwen sailed to the 2019 NCAA Indoor High Jump Championship Saturday afternoon, after clearing 7-6 (2.29m) on his final attempt.
"The whole meet I stayed focused," McEwen said. "I worked hard at practice and that carried into the meet, and I got the job done."
He cleared three bars over seven feet on his first attempt, before clearing 7-5 on his second attempt. After 7-5 there were three jumpers left, with Tennessee's Darryl Sullivan and LSU's JuVaughn Harrison joining McEwen in the hunt for the title. All three men missed 7-6 on their first two attempts. Sullivan missed his third attempt before McEwen came up. After he made it over 7-6, the second-best clearance of his career, McEwen waited on Harrison, the NCAA title in the balance.
When Harrison missed his final attempt, the stands, packed with Alabama fans and McEwen's family, erupted, celebrating the Tide's latest NCAA champion.
"It feels great to have this type of support at meet like this," McEwen said. "They came out to support me as an individual and as a whole team representing the University. I appreciate everyone for coming out."
McEwen is the first Alabama jumper to win an NCAA indoor high jump title, and just the second to win one in either indoor or outdoor, following Jeff Woodard, who won the outdoor title in 1980. His championship also marked the 27th NCAA title for the Tide men and the 13th indoor title.
Third in the indoor high jump a year ago, McEwen was second in the event at last spring's outdoor NCAA Championships. Shelby's title came early on the final day of the NCAA Indoor Championships, with the meet slated to finish up after 7 p.m. CT tonight.
For the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaTrack on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
