JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — By any measure, Northwestern State long jumper Roy Morris should have been simply happy to be there at the NCAA East Preliminary Round.
The true freshman from Shreveport’s Evangel Christian Academy entered the competition ranked 35th out of 48 qualifiers. He finished it in ninth place last week, earning one of 12 East slots for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., June 11. The 24 qualifiers (12 more from the West regional) jump at 7:40 CDT next Wednesday.
Morris soared 24-8.25, his second-best jump of the season, last Wednesday at the East regional championship. He led the early group of 24 athletes, generally comprised of the lower ranked entries. But he had to wait a little longer to celebrate, as before the second group began their attempts, pouring rain caused a four-hour weather delay as he sat and waited to see if he’d punch his ticket to Eugene.
He recorded his 24-8.25 jump on his third attempt, which took him from just outside the top five to the top spot and set him up for success as eight of the 24 from the final group surpassed Morris, but he settled in at ninth place.