Wednesday, June 9
Eugene, Ore.
Coastal Carolina University
vs
NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Ejumeta and Jefferson Have Eyes Set on NCAA Championships
6/8/2021 1:00:00 PM | Track & Field/Cross Country
The pair seek to be the first Chanticleers to win a track and field national championship
CONWAY, S.C. – Beginning on Wednesday night at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., Coastal Carolina Carolina's long jumper David Ejumeta and sprinter Melissa Jefferson will set their sights on a 2021 Track and Field NCAA Championship in their respective events.
The NCAA championships will be televised through a variety of ESPN platforms from May 9-12.
Ejumeta will kick off the action for the Chanticleers tomorrow at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, as he becomes the second Chant in school history, the first since Jerome Simpson in 2007, to take the long jump runway at the NCAA Championships.
Five years ago, with Iowa Midwestern Junior College, while was warming up during the NJCAA Track and Field Championships, Ejumeta collided with a fellow long jumper, causing a concussion, taking him out of the competition. A year later, it happened again, Ejumeta made it back to the 2018 junior college national championships, but this time he dislocated his shoulder during the event, gutted it out, and wasn't going to be denied from competing. Ejumeta came to Coastal Carolina in the fall of 2018, but just as luck would have it, he would be sidelined with a pair of Achilles surgeries that put him out of action.
With CoVid-19 wiping out the entire 2020 season, maybe it was a blessing in disguise for Ejumeta, as he was able to heal up fully, preparing him for the 2021 season. Wednesday will symbolize his perseverance as he will set foot on the ultimate collegiate track and field stage of them all.
On March 12, Ejumeta got his season underway with a first-place finish in the long jump at the Myrtle Beach Collegiate Challenge with a leap of 7.63 meters, just four-hundredths of a meter short of the CCU long jump record (7.67 meters) set by Erik Eckleben ('19) in 2019.
Ejumeta went onto win three more long jump events this past season, including the Weems Baskin Invitational on March 26, the Chanticleer Challenge on April 3, and then the 2021 Sun Belt Outdoor Long Jump Championship on May 13, where the veteran long jumper put together the best jump of his career and earned a Sun Belt Championship gold medal, a school record, and the Sun Belt Championship record with a distance of 7.97 meters.
A few days later, the Sun Belt Conference recognized Ejumeta as first-team all-conference and its Most Outstanding Track Performer for the season.
Ejumeta earned a berth into the 2021 NCAA East Preliminaries in Jacksonville, Fla., over Memorial Day weekend, where he continued to shine. On his third and final jump of the regional finals, Ejumeta needed at least 7.52 meters, and that's what he got. The native Nigerian had tied two other competitors, Tennessee State's R'Lazon Brumfield, and Louisville's Jeremiah Willis. However, Ejumeta's first two jumps were better than theirs, giving him the 12th and final spot, punching his ticket to Eugene.
The senior goes into Eugene as the No. 1-ranked long jumper in the Sun Belt, tied for 12th in the NCAA and No. 34 in the world.
Jefferson will start the final part of her NCAA championship journey with two semifinal runs on Thursday, becoming one of 16 athletes at this year's championships to compete in 100 meters and 200 meters. Starting at 7:47 p.m. ET on ESPN2, the Georgetown, S.C. native will run in the 100 meters and will turn and burn with the 200-meter dash at 8:44 p.m. ET.
The freshman became the first Chanticleer in school history to earn a spot on the national stage in the 100 meters and the third all-time, and the first since Erica Peake in 2013 to make the 200-meter semifinals.
Ever since stepping on to Coastal Carolina campus, Jefferson has been the top CCU sprinter and has rewritten the Chanticleer record book in virtually every event that she's competed in while attaining the highest awards in the Sun Belt.
In 2020, Jefferson won the Sun Belt Indoor Newcomer of the Year and the Sun Belt Indoor Freshman of the Year. This season, the sprinter had taken home three more conference awards, including the 2021 Sun Belt Outdoor Newcomer of the Year, Sun Belt Outdoor Freshman of the Year, and the Sun Belt Outdoor Most Outstanding Track Performer.
On March 19, Jefferson broke Ikeilyah Brown's 2011 100-meter school record of 11.48 (1.6), and since then, she has broken her record on three other occasions.
The Carvers Bay High School graduate qualified for the 100-meter semifinals as she matched her school record of 11.22 at the regionals with the eighth fastest time.
Moving onto the 200 meters, it took Jefferson just four races into the season to break Shawnta Johnson's record that stood for 14 years. On April 15 at the Tom Jones Invitational, the Chanticleer freshman broke Johnson's record, but since then, she has broken that record on three other occasions throughout the 2021 season.
On May 30 at the NCAA 200-meter regional finals in Jacksonville, Jefferson punched her ticket to Eugene as she overcame two runners in Maia McCoy of Tennessee and Jayla Kirkland of Florida State to finish third in heat three at 22.95, breaking her school record for the fourth time this season.
Jefferson goes into Thursday's semifinals ranked 17th in the NCAA in 100 meters and 200 meters. She also ranks 101st among the world's best (amateur and professional) in the 100 meters and 155th in the 200 meters.
For complete coverage of CCU Athletics, follow the Chants on social media @GoCCUsports (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUsports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.
The NCAA championships will be televised through a variety of ESPN platforms from May 9-12.
Ejumeta will kick off the action for the Chanticleers tomorrow at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, as he becomes the second Chant in school history, the first since Jerome Simpson in 2007, to take the long jump runway at the NCAA Championships.
Five years ago, with Iowa Midwestern Junior College, while was warming up during the NJCAA Track and Field Championships, Ejumeta collided with a fellow long jumper, causing a concussion, taking him out of the competition. A year later, it happened again, Ejumeta made it back to the 2018 junior college national championships, but this time he dislocated his shoulder during the event, gutted it out, and wasn't going to be denied from competing. Ejumeta came to Coastal Carolina in the fall of 2018, but just as luck would have it, he would be sidelined with a pair of Achilles surgeries that put him out of action.
With CoVid-19 wiping out the entire 2020 season, maybe it was a blessing in disguise for Ejumeta, as he was able to heal up fully, preparing him for the 2021 season. Wednesday will symbolize his perseverance as he will set foot on the ultimate collegiate track and field stage of them all.
On March 12, Ejumeta got his season underway with a first-place finish in the long jump at the Myrtle Beach Collegiate Challenge with a leap of 7.63 meters, just four-hundredths of a meter short of the CCU long jump record (7.67 meters) set by Erik Eckleben ('19) in 2019.
Ejumeta went onto win three more long jump events this past season, including the Weems Baskin Invitational on March 26, the Chanticleer Challenge on April 3, and then the 2021 Sun Belt Outdoor Long Jump Championship on May 13, where the veteran long jumper put together the best jump of his career and earned a Sun Belt Championship gold medal, a school record, and the Sun Belt Championship record with a distance of 7.97 meters.
A few days later, the Sun Belt Conference recognized Ejumeta as first-team all-conference and its Most Outstanding Track Performer for the season.
Ejumeta earned a berth into the 2021 NCAA East Preliminaries in Jacksonville, Fla., over Memorial Day weekend, where he continued to shine. On his third and final jump of the regional finals, Ejumeta needed at least 7.52 meters, and that's what he got. The native Nigerian had tied two other competitors, Tennessee State's R'Lazon Brumfield, and Louisville's Jeremiah Willis. However, Ejumeta's first two jumps were better than theirs, giving him the 12th and final spot, punching his ticket to Eugene.
The senior goes into Eugene as the No. 1-ranked long jumper in the Sun Belt, tied for 12th in the NCAA and No. 34 in the world.
Jefferson will start the final part of her NCAA championship journey with two semifinal runs on Thursday, becoming one of 16 athletes at this year's championships to compete in 100 meters and 200 meters. Starting at 7:47 p.m. ET on ESPN2, the Georgetown, S.C. native will run in the 100 meters and will turn and burn with the 200-meter dash at 8:44 p.m. ET.
The freshman became the first Chanticleer in school history to earn a spot on the national stage in the 100 meters and the third all-time, and the first since Erica Peake in 2013 to make the 200-meter semifinals.
Ever since stepping on to Coastal Carolina campus, Jefferson has been the top CCU sprinter and has rewritten the Chanticleer record book in virtually every event that she's competed in while attaining the highest awards in the Sun Belt.
In 2020, Jefferson won the Sun Belt Indoor Newcomer of the Year and the Sun Belt Indoor Freshman of the Year. This season, the sprinter had taken home three more conference awards, including the 2021 Sun Belt Outdoor Newcomer of the Year, Sun Belt Outdoor Freshman of the Year, and the Sun Belt Outdoor Most Outstanding Track Performer.
On March 19, Jefferson broke Ikeilyah Brown's 2011 100-meter school record of 11.48 (1.6), and since then, she has broken her record on three other occasions.
The Carvers Bay High School graduate qualified for the 100-meter semifinals as she matched her school record of 11.22 at the regionals with the eighth fastest time.
Moving onto the 200 meters, it took Jefferson just four races into the season to break Shawnta Johnson's record that stood for 14 years. On April 15 at the Tom Jones Invitational, the Chanticleer freshman broke Johnson's record, but since then, she has broken that record on three other occasions throughout the 2021 season.
On May 30 at the NCAA 200-meter regional finals in Jacksonville, Jefferson punched her ticket to Eugene as she overcame two runners in Maia McCoy of Tennessee and Jayla Kirkland of Florida State to finish third in heat three at 22.95, breaking her school record for the fourth time this season.
Jefferson goes into Thursday's semifinals ranked 17th in the NCAA in 100 meters and 200 meters. She also ranks 101st among the world's best (amateur and professional) in the 100 meters and 155th in the 200 meters.
For complete coverage of CCU Athletics, follow the Chants on social media @GoCCUsports (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUsports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.
Players Mentioned
Jumps
/ Track & Field/Cross Country
Jumps/Sprints
/ Track & Field/Cross CountryWednesday, September 17
Saturday, June 25
Tuesday, March 15
Tuesday, March 15
