DES MOINES, Iowa -- The NCAA Track and Field Championships concluded on a fantastic note for Cornell on Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa, as senior tri-captain Muhammad Halim capped his phenomenal collegiate career with the NCAA title in the triple jump. Halim, now a four-time All-American, reached a new school record 54-8 (wind-aided) and had a remarkable series of jumps.
Just as remarkable is the national competitiveness of the Cornell jumpers, as Halim's championship marks the second year in a row that a Cornellian has won the NCAA outdoor men's triple jump title. Indeed, Rayon Taylor '07, the 2007 champion, competed on Saturday and finished a fine fourth, competing as a Florida State graduate student (the Ivy League only allows undergraduates to compete, and so graduate students who have remaining eligibility must do so at non-Ivy institutions). Taylor took the lead in the second round and ultimately finished fourth at 54-2 3/4, his fourth career All-American accolade as well! Taylor's efforts were also important as he contributed to Florida State's team championship! In the hunt throughout the meet, Taylor now will turn his attention to the Jamaican Olympic Trials in two weeks.
Halim, as mentioned, had a remarkable series of jumps that included two of the top three performances on the day. The first jumper in the competition, he delivered immediately, jumping 53-8 1/2, a mark that stood as the leader nearly the entire first round. But in a field that included three other NCAA champions (Taylor of Cornell and now Florida State, Nkosinza Balumba of Arkansas and Andre Black of Louisville), even a strong jump like that was not safe. Balumba, the 2008 indoor NCAA Champion, had the lead with a very good mark of 54-4 after the first three preliminary rounds.
But after the field waas whittled to nine for the finals, Halim exploded with a 54-8 in the fourth round to take the lead and followed up with a very good 54-5 1/4 in the fifth round, a mark that ended up being the third best jump of the day. After Andre Black of Louisville closed to within one centimeter (54-7 1/2) on his final jump, Halim remained in first as the final six jumpers failed to better his first-place effort of 54-8.
After entering the 2007 outdoor meet with the top seed but limited at the national championships by a hamstring injury suffered in winning the 2007 East Regional Championships, Muhammad's dream of an NCAA title was deferred....but only for a year. A clutch performer throughout his Cornell career, Halim came through when it counted yet again and joins Taylor as the only field event NCAA Champions in Cornell history. Prior to Taylor's breakthrough-win last year, Cornell's most recent NCAA Champion was Olympian Charlie Moore in the 1951 220-yard hurdle race.
Complete results of the NCAA meet are at:
http://www.flashresults.com/2008_Meets/outdoor/DivisionI/
With the collegiate portion of the 2008 track season complete, attention now turns to the U.S. Olympic Trials, to be held in Eugene, Ore., from June 27 - July 6. A slew of Cornell graduates and current athletes will be competing.
Set to compete with the "A" standard are Max King '02 in the 3000 steeplechase, Morgan Uceny '07 in the 800 and 1500, Jeomi Maduka '09 in the long jump and Muhammad Halim '08 in the triple jump. Qualified withthe "B" standard are Emily McCabe '06 in the 10K, Jimmy Wyner '09 in the1500 and Garrett Huyler '09 in the high jump; the latter group will learn if they have a spot in the meet in the next week.