Adeshina qualifies for third NCAA outdoor finals

File: Nigerian high jumper and national record holder, Temitope Adeshina

Nigerian high jumper and national record holder Temitope Adeshina has booked her place at the NCAA Outdoor Championships scheduled for June 10 to 13 in Eugene, Oregon, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. Adeshina topped the women’s high jump standings at the NCAA West Preliminary Round on Saturday evening at John McDonnell Field, clearing 1.87m alongside her Texas Tech teammate Evelyn Lavielle. The Nigerian, who was one of only two jumpers in the field to clear all her heights without a miss, finished first overall, while Lavielle placed fourth. She is heading to her third consecutive NCAA Outdoor Championships and will be hoping to claim the outdoor title that has eluded her since arriving in the collegiate ranks. The Nigerian record holder has enjoyed an impressive season, winning two indoor titles and three consecutive Big 12 high jump crowns. Related News SWAN urges Kano to immortalise 22 deceased athletes Mexican goalkeeper Ochoa set for historic sixth World Cup FIFA to ban team talks during goalkeeper injury breaks at 2026 World Cup Earlier this year, the 27-year-old was named the recipient of the International Student-Athlete Excellence Award in the women’s category at Texas Tech’s 2026 Red & Black Gala. Following her breakthrough season in 2024, when she set a Nigerian national record, Adeshina established herself among the leading high jumpers in collegiate athletics. She also represented Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, becoming only the second Nigerian woman to compete in the Olympic high jump after Doreen Amata, who represented the country at the 2008 and 2016 Games. Adeshina won her first NCAA title in March 2025 after clearing 1.94m at the NCAA Indoor Championships held at the Virginia Beach Sports Centre in Virginia, becoming the first Nigerian to win an NCAA high jump title. She will now aim to add the NCAA outdoor crown to her growing list of achievements when the championships begin in Eugene later this month. Abiodun Adewale Abiodun, who reports Sports for PUNCH, covers different tiers of the Nigerian football league, the national teams, as well as cricket, in the last six years

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