Complete Results
GREENSBORO, N.C. – After just seven weeks as a member of the Manhattan College outdoor track & field team, Mohamed Koita (Cergy, France) is headed to his first NCAA Championships. Koita tied for eighth place in the high jump with a leap of 2.14 meters (seven feet, ¼ inch) at the NCAA East Preliminary Round from North Carolina A&T's Aggie Stadium on Saturday night to punch his ticket to Nationals.
“It feels great,” Koita said. “I certainly wasn't expecting it. I was confident at first, but I went against a lot of really good guys. I'm happy I made it. It was a long competition.”
Koita, a four-year letterwinner on the Manhattan men's basketball team, only began training for the high jump at the conclusion of basketball season in March. Just three weeks later, he broke a 33-year-old school record while winning the men's Eastern high jump at the Penn Relays.
On Saturday, he cleared 2.05 m (6'8¾) and 2.10 m (6'10¾) on his first attempt. Koita had one miss at 2.14 m (7'0¼) before getting over the bar on his second jump. He was one of 17 competitiors remaining when the bar was raised to 2.17 m (7'1½).
Only six jumpers cleared that height, meaning the other six qualifiers would be determined by misses at the previous heights. Virginia Tech's Ronnie Black was the only person in that group to clear 2.14 m (7'0¼) on his first attempt. Koita was one of three jumpers who had a miss at 2.14 m (7'0¼), but were otherwise clean. As a result, he earned a place in Eugene, Ore., in two weeks.
“He did a great job today,” Head Coach Dan Mecca added. “He really showed his talent, going out and competing against the best.”
Koita, the first Jasper high jumper to qualify for NCAAs since Joe Sciuto in 1988, will join decathlete Tom Bechert (Munich, Germany) at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, which will be held at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field from June 5-8. This marks the first time since 2009 that Manhattan will send multiple athletes to Nationals.
