Men's Outdoor Track and Field | 5/27/2022 5:17:00 PM
GENEVA, OH – One of the greatest high jumpers in NCAA Division III history cemented his legacy on Friday afternoon. Kyle Rollins of the St. John Fisher College men's track and field team cleared 2.16 meters at the 2022 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships to claim his third consecutive outdoor high jump national title. Including his 2021-22 indoor gold medal, Rollins stands alone atop the Fisher record books with four individual national championships, the most in school history.
The Groveland, New York, native is only the second D-III jumper to win the high jump at three consecutive NCAA Championships, matching Dan Olson of Wheaton College (Mass.), who placed first in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Additionally, Rollins joins Olson and Stan Watson of Pomona-Pitzer (1981, 1982, 1984) as the only athletes to win the high jump three times in their career.
Rollins is the first high jumper to win the indoor and outdoor national crown in the same season since Nathan Davis of Heidelberg University did so in 2013. Additionally, he's only the sixth D-III athlete to win both in the same year since the indoor meet was split up into three divisions in 1985.
After skipping the first height, Rollins was the only competitor to pass on 1.97 meters. He chose to begin his title defense at 2.02 meters, which he and five others surpassed on their first attempts. Although he missed his first try at 2.05 meters, Rollins secured All-America honors by sailing over the bar on his second jump.
Only four of the remaining eight athletes were able to leap over the 2.08-meter bar, with Rollins and Tanner Slack from the University of Mount Union doing so on their first attempts.
Neither Sam Beatty (Central College), Caleb Cornelius (Wisconsin Oshkosh), nor Slack – who finished as the runner-up to Rollins in the 2021 outdoor and 2022 indoor national titles – were able to clear 2.11 meters. Rollins, however, soared over that mark on his second jump.
With the gold in hand, the Fisher graduate student achieved 2.16 meters, just one centimeter shy of his outdoor personal best and tied for the fourth-best in meet history. Looking to tie the NCAA meet record, he took two shots at 2.20 meters before unsuccessfully trying a would-be meet record of 2.21 meters on his final jump of the day.
Rollins' championship quest is not over yet. With the No. 1 seeded distance in the country, he will return to the SPIRE Institute on Saturday, May 28, at 11:00 a.m. to participate in the triple jump.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
EMPIRE 8 SOCIAL MEDIA
YouTube –
Facebook –
Twitter –
Instagram