EUGENE, Ore. – Junior Tah Chikomba was crowned the men's long jump national champion on Wednesday (June 10) during the first day of the NCAA Championship at Hayward Field. After six events, the K-State men's team sits in 3rd place with 16 points.
Chikomba, a native of Zimbabwe, clinched the long jump title at 8.37m (27' 5.5"), breaking his own school record by almost four inches. His performance is the furthest to win the outdoor event since 2018 when Ohio State's Zack Bazile also won with a jump of 8.37m.
Earning his first outdoor NCAA First Team All-America honor, Chikomba is just the second Wildcat to win a long jump outdoor title, the first was in 1951 when Herb Hoskins won at 7.41m.
"Tafadzwa Chikomba flat out got it done," head coach Travis Geopfert said. "Came in here as the favorite, and that's one thing, when you navigate success, and he navigated it extremely well. A personal best, broke the school record, three centimeters off of the all-time African record. I think 15 centimeters off of the NCAA meet record into a headwind, and just, what can I say about that guy? I mean, a champion, an NCAA champion, a title that he's going to have with him for the rest of his life, and just proud how he's handled all of it."
Also in the long jump, sophomore Uroy Ryan earned a bronze medal as he tied his personal best jump of 8.04m (26' 4.5"), his jump a quarter of an inch ahead of the fourth place finisher. It marks Ryan's first outdoor First Team All-America honor after finishing 9th in the event last season with Arkansas.
Two more men finished the day with Second Team All-America accolades, senior Gary Moore Jr. earned his first honor in the hammer throw. Moore Jr. finished in 12th place with a new personal best throw of 68.61m (225' 1"), in the best series of his career, his farthest throw by over three feet
Junior Riley Marx competed in the javelin where he finished with a throw of 70.43m (231' 1") in 15th place. It is his second Second Team honor after an 11th place finish last year.
The men's 4x400 relay team ended the day with All-America honorable mention with a 17th place finish in 3:04.83, the second fastest race this season with juniors Nen Matlock and Tavon Underwood, freshman Heath Grant and senior Bongumusa Nkosi.
Two men started the day in the men's decathlon through the first five events, senior Emil Uhlin and freshman Dorian Charles. Uhlin had three top-10 finishes, finishing day one in 9th place with 4,009 points. His best performance of the day was during the high jump as he tied for 5th with a seasons-best clearance of 2.04m (6' 8.25"). He placed 6th in the shot put with a throw of 13.86m (45' 5.75") and ran the 400 meters in 48.96 seconds in 7th place
Charles had his best performances on the track and after five events, he's in 16th place with 3,881 points. Starting the day in the 100-meter dash he ran in 11.00 seconds in 13th place before running the 400 meters in 49.25 seconds in 10th place.
The women will compete in their first day, the first event the hammer throw at 4:30 p.m., CT. For the Wildcats, senior Aaliyah Lindsay will take to the long jump runway at 8:40 p.m., before senior Vanessa Mercera runs in the 400-meter hurdles semifinals at 9:43 p.m. and the day wraps up with the 4x400 relay semifinals at 10:36 p.m.
The final five events of the men's decathlon will also wrap up starting at 12:45 p.m., CT beginning with the 100-meter hurdles.
FROM THE TRACK
Head Coach Travis Geopfert
On the efforts of Croix DaCunha and Uroy Ryan in the long jump…
"I want to start off with Croix, you know, he put it out there and it didn't come together, but he is getting the experience at the show as a freshman. You can't win if you don't play, and that kid, that kid tried, he put it out there, and we love him for the efforts, and don't fault him at all for any of it. That second jump, I mean, it was barely a foul, and it was a big jump, and sometimes you have to experience those big fouls before they come and happen… Uroy Ryan, another PB, was cramping up a little bit out there, but the consummate warrior, and I just love that dude. He's a team guy, cheering for everybody out there, and just so proud of him with that third-place finish, continuing to climb the ranks
On Moore Jr's success on the national stage…
"Gary Moore Jr. best series of his life, personal best. He finished 12th overall, just out of making the final. Just appreciate him and the work that him, and listening to Coach [John] Newell, and the guidance that Coach Newell is giving to him along the way. And, dude, he came in the national championships and had a PB, like, there's nothing more that we can ask on that."