When Mainland Regional’s Mawali Osunniyi disappeared from Uconn’s track roster this indoor season after an outstanding freshman year in Storrs, I figured he was either injured or red-shirting.
Osunniyi had a high school PR of 6-8 and then as a true freshman at Connecticut jumped 7-1 ½ last indoor season and won the Big East both indoors in Chicago [7-0 ¼] and outdoors [6-11] at Villanova.
And then nothing.
It turns out, Osunniyi was competing along. I just missed it. But he transferred to New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs, N. Mex., which is about 100 miles southwest of Lubbock, Texas.
Osunniyi capped his indoor season by winning the National Junior College Athletic Association Championships at Texas Tech’s Sports Performance Center – in Lubbock – with a 6-11 ½ clearance.
He passed 6-4 ¼ and 6-6 ¼ and then cleared 6-8 ¼ on his second attempt. He got over the bar at 6-10 ¼ and 6-11 ½ on his first attempts and had the victory locked up when the two other jumpers who were still alive went out at 6-11 ½.
So Osunniyi had the bar moved up to 7-1 ¾, which would have been a PR, but he missed three tries there, settling for his first national title.
Osunniyi had set the New Mexico JC school record of 6-11 ¾ in February in another meet in Lubbock.
New Mexico lists Osunniyi as a sophomore on its outdoor track roster.
Osunniyi triple jumped 47-0 ½ at Mainland but has only triple jumped once in his college career.
Here’s a look at all the 7-foot jumpers from South Jersey [let me know if I missed anyone!]:
7-5 ¾ … Darren Burton [Delran], July 23, 1989, Ylivieska, Finland
7-5 ¼ … Mike Pascuzzo [Lenape], June 6, 1992, New York
7-4 ½ … Jim Pringle [Moorestown], March 21, 1982, Tallahassee, Fla.
7-4 ½ … Paul Klemic [Mainland Reg.], June 17, 2000, Raleigh, N.C.
7-4 ½ … Montez Blair [Timber Creek], June 23, 2013, Des Moines, Iowa
7-4 ½ … Robert Jordan [Millville], Jan. 22, 2000, Ames, Iowa
7-4 ¼ … Mike Morrison [Willingboro], March 16, 2003, Landover, Md.
7-4 … Terrance Ferguson [Cherry Hill West], May 5, 1991, Princeton
7-3 … Anthony Butler [Schalick], June 10, 2006, Colts Neck
7-2 ¼ … Jeffrey-Jon Tucker [Eastern], April 28, 2018, Ewing
7-1 ¾ … Drew Kanz [Seneca], Feb. 28, 2014, Birmingham, Ala.
7-1 ½ … Devin Bradham [Williamstown], May 3, 2019, University Park, Pa.
7-1 ½ … Mawali Osunniyi [Mainland Reg.], Feb. 2, 2024, Cambridge, Mass.
7-0 ½ … Todd Lowber [Delran], May 26, 2006, Lisle, Ala.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 