Eugene, Oregon- “Ticket Punched”! Despite the big stage that was set last night at Hayward Field, the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff track and field star Caleb Snowden advanced to the finals for the men’s high jump in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Snowden achieved another milestone as the first high jumper from a Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to secure a top-three position in both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in the same year.
Caleb Snowden’s Silver Medal in the Olympic Trials will not make him eligible to participate in the Paris Olympics, but he’s already made history. The Olympic Standard must be met for an athlete to advance to Paris and although Snowden nabbed the Silver, his ending height 2.27 meters (7 feet, 5 1/4 inches) falls short of the 2.33 meters needed.
This isn’t a reason to feel bad for Caleb. This season saw him accomplish a host of firsts for an HBCU athlete including being the first HBCU athlete to medal in the Olympic Trials in High Jump. As an advocate for high jump becoming a televised standalone sport, Caleb could become a beacon for other athletes in track and field. HBCUs have the smallest endowments of any college system in the U.S. Many high schools in majority Black areas of the country lack the facilities for high school athletes to compete in field events. With Shelby McEwen and JuVaughn Harrison bringing a spotlight to the sport and the Black community, it’s the perfect time to continue discussing the accomplishments by Caleb and highlight UAPB.
