By Madeline Hippeard / The Jambar
With the conclusion of the 2024 Horizon League Championships inside the Watson and Tressel Training Site, senior long jumper Tye Hunt qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
The three-day event stretched from March 7 through 9 in Boston. Hunt was among 16 athletes who participated in the long jump.
Hunt finished the qualifying round of the event with a best jump of 7.66 meters. In the final round, Hunt jumped 7.62 meters.
In total, there have been nine qualifiers for the NCAA Championships in Youngstown State University history. The first athlete to accomplish this was Kofi Owusu-Ansah in the 200 meter in 2000.
Hunt earned his spot in the national tournament in December 2023 at the YSU Icebreaker.
At the Icebreaker, Hunt set a school, facility and meet record with a jump of 8.08 meters. Before the Icebreaker, Hunt held the previous school record of 7.74 meters.
Hunt’s 8.08 meter jump ranked him fifth nationally among all other NCAA Division I long jump athletes. He remained ranked fifth for the remainder of the season.
At the end of the indoor season, Hunt earned his first Horizon League title after winning the long jump with a leap of 7.69 meters during the Horizon League Indoor Track & Field Championship.