AS THE SECOND ROUND came to a close, Ackelia Smith had to do some soul-searching; the Big 12 long jump champ had opened with two fouls. The Texas soph told herself, “This is my track. I’m not going to lose on it!” She clearly had some work to do.
Florida junior Claire Bryant led round 1 at 20-10¾ (6.37), and her favored teammate Jasmine Moore, the defending champ, leaped 21-2½ (6.46) for the second-round lead. This was a stellar field in which no one was guaranteed an easy win. Next, Stanford frosh Alyssa Jones bumped the lead to 21-10¾ (6.67) on her third effort.
Jumping immediately after Jones and Moore in round 3, Smith thought about the blood and sweat she had left on this runway. She popped 20-10 (6.35), well off her collegiate outdoor leader 23-2¾ (7.08). But she was still alive.
“I was thinking about our team, and they needed the points,” Smith said. And the fact that former Longhorn Tara Davis-Woodhall set the meet record in ’21 — the year she swept the NCAA indoor and outdoor crowns, and placed 6th in the Olympics.
Jones would close out the fourth round with an American Junior Record 22-6¼ (6.86). That was a powerful response, as Smith had just edged into the lead by a quarter-inch at 21-11 (6.68) on her fourth try. In the next round Smith edged closer to Jones’s leader. She had moved past Moore, who was turning in a 6-jump series averaging 21-4, not a prime day. It wouldn’t be enough to defend her title.
Jumping fourth in the final round, Jamaican Smith spanned 22-7 (6.88) to take the lead. The heat was now on the others. Jumping eighth, Moore uncorked her best of the night, 21-10¼ (6.66) but remained in 3rd. Then Jones pressed a little too much and fouled. Smith had won the second long jump title in program history. “It was an honor to be on this track,” she said.
WOMEN’S LONG JUMP RESULTS
(June 08)
1. **Ackelia Smith’ (Tx-Jam) 22-7 (6.88) (3, 3 NCAA)
(f, f, 20-10, 21-11, 22-4¼, 22-7) (f, f, 6.35, 6.68, 6.81, 6.88);
2. ***Alyssa Jones (Stan) 22-6¼ (6.86) AJR (old AJR 22-5/6.83 Kate Hall [MeHS] ’15) (8, x WJ; 4, 4 NCAA)
(20-8½, 17-9½, 21-10¾, 22-6¼, 20-11¾, f) (6.31, 5.42, 6.67, 6.86, 6.39, f);
3. *Jasmine Moore (Fl) 21-10¼ (6.66)
(20-5¾, 21-2½, 21-5½, 21-9, 21-2½, 21-10¼) (6.24, 6.46, 6.54, 6.63, 6.46, 6.66);
4. *Alysah Hickey (Or) 21-3¼ (6.48)
(19-8¼, 20-10¾, 20-1¾, 20-3½, 21-0, 21-3¼) (6.00, 6.37, 6.14, 6.18, 6.40, 6.48);
5. *Claire Bryant (Fl) 21-1½ (6.44)
(20-10¾, f, 21-1½, 20-10, 21-1¼, f) (6.37, f, 6.44, 6.35, 6.43, f);
6. Charisma Taylor’ (Tn-Bah) 21-½ (6.41) (f, f, 20-9, 20-10¾, 20-4¼, 21-½) (f, f, 6.32, 6.37, 6.20, 6.41);
7. **Emilia Sjöstrand’ (SJSt-Swe) 20-8½ (6.31)
(19-11, 20-3½, 20-8½, 14-5¾, 20-1¾, 19-11¾) (6.07, 6.18, 6.31, 4.41, 6.14, 6.09);
8. *Synclair Savage (Louis) 20-8 (6.30); 9. **Joniar Thomas’ (TxAM-Grn) 20-7 (6.27); 10. **Velecia Williams’ (Nb-Jam) 20-2¼ (6.15); 11. Titiana Marsh (Ga) 20-1 (6.12); 12. *Morgan Smalls (LSU) 19-11¾ (6.09); 13. Isabel Wakefield’ (Duke-GB) 19-11 (6.07); 14. *Raelyn Roberson (SMU) 19-9¾ (6.04); 15. Paola Fernandez-Sola’ (In-PR) 19-9 (6.02); 16. **Sydney Willits (IaSt) 19-8¾ (6.01); 17. ***Caelyn Harris (Al) 19-8¼ (6.00); 18. Jasmine Scott-Kilgo’ (UCF-Can) 19-6¼ (5.95); 19. Jirah Sidberry (NCSt) 19-6¼; 20. ***Eve Divinity (SJSt) 19-5½ (5.93); 21. Asia Poe (MsSt) 19-3½ (5.88); 22. Symone Washington (Ok) 19-3¼ (5.87); 23. *Oreoluwa Adamson’ (UTSA-GB) 19-3¼; 24. Ijeoma Uche (Cal) 18-8¾ (5.71).
(best-ever mark-for-NCAA-place: 2)