By Wheeling Sports Information

WHEELING, W.Va. – Heading into the 2.21 meter height at the Men's High Jump in the 2023 NCAA DII Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, Wheeling University Men's Track & Field athlete Andrew Taylor was one of three jumpers left in the competition. He had already set both a PR in the event and broke the school record in the High Jump, but was chasing down the school's first individual national championship since the 1994 season. Taylor would not achieve the individual title, but finished third in the nation in the event with that 2.18 meter height.

Taylor entered the competition at the 2.04 meter height and put himself in strong positioning from the get-go. He breezed past the first two marks of 2.04 meters and 2.09 meters, hitting both jumps on the first try. With the field cut nearly in half after nine competitors had been eliminated, Taylor would attempt 2.11 meters. Taylor had cleared the 2.10 meter height three times during the season and came out strong, passing 2.11 meters on his first jump. The next height was 2.15 meters, which was Taylor's seed height and his personal best entering the National Championships. He had hit the height twice in his career, once at the 2022 Mountain East Conference (MEC) championships and once at this year's Jesse Owens Classic.

Taylor continued his hot start to the day, clearing the height for the third time in his career as he entered uncharted territory. Up next was 2.18 meters, and Taylor would set his new PR, clearing the height on the first jump. Seven competitors were left in the field, and Taylor was the only one to clear the height on his first jump. After two jumps, Nebraska-Kearney's Brayden Sorensen joined in and by the end Central Michigan's Evans Yamoah and Pittsburgh State's Cordell Tinch were added to bring the event to its final four. As they moved to 2.21 meters, Taylor's run would come to an end as he missed on all three jumps, but took third in the field. He earns first team All-American honors with the effort and is now the number one high jumper in school history.

West Liberty's Liam Vinskovich also competed in the men's high jump event.