Adeshina completes historic NCAA double with outdoor high jump gold

Nigeria’s Temitope Adeshina capped a remarkable season in style by claiming her first NCAA Outdoor Championships women’s high jump title at Hayward Field, cementing her place among the greatest athletes in Texas Tech and Nigerian collegiate athletics history.
The Texas Tech junior produced a flawless display for most of the competition, clearing her opening six heights without a single fault before recording her only miss of the day at 1.99m. Her victory completed an unbeaten campaign and secured a rare sweep of the NCAA indoor and outdoor high jump titles.
The triumph was Adeshina’s third NCAA championship crown overall, making her just the second female athlete in Texas Tech history to win at least three NCAA titles.
She joins Red Raider legend Sally Kipyego in an exclusive club of multiple national champions.
Reflecting on her achievement, an elated Adeshina credited her success to discipline and perseverance throughout the season.
“I’m happy to be the Indoor and Outdoor Champion,” Adeshina said after her victory. “Consistency and hard work is the key.”
The Nigerian star was also aiming to become the first woman in the competition to clear the two-metre mark but narrowly fell short at 1.99m.
“I thought I was going to cross over 2m today,” she said. “We plan as humans, but God is the ultimate master planner.”
Adeshina’s success ended a six-year wait for Texas Tech in the women’s high jump, making her the first Red Raider to win the NCAA outdoor title in the event since Zarriea Willis achieved the feat in 2019.
Her accomplishment also resonates strongly in Nigerian athletics.
Adeshina became only the third Nigerian student-athlete to complete a field-event double in the same season, following the footsteps of Blessing Okagbare, who swept the long jump titles in 2010, and Ruth Usoro, who achieved the feat in the triple jump in 2021.
The victory further highlighted Nigeria’s growing influence in collegiate athletics, with the country recording four NCAA outdoor field-event titles and seven overall field-event crowns in 2026, the highest tally by Nigerian athletes in a single championship season.
For Adeshina, the latest triumph not only crowns an undefeated year but also reinforces her status as one of Nigeria’s brightest athletics talents as she continues to make history on the collegiate stage.