Texas Tech Coach Backs Nigeria’s Adeshina to Break NCAA High Jump Record

Texas Tech track and field coach Wes Kittley has expressed confidence that Nigerian high jumper Temitope Adeshina could break the NCAA women’s high jump record following her impressive performances in the collegiate circuit.

Adeshina recently claimed her third consecutive Big 12 indoor high jump title after clearing 1.96 metres, a mark that equals the second-best jump in Texas Tech’s history. The leap also set a new meet record, surpassing the previous 1.93m mark set by Akela Jones in 2016 and Destinee Hooker in 2009.

With the achievement, Adeshina became the first woman in Big 12 history to win three straight indoor high jump titles since Rylee Anderson accomplished the feat between 2021 and 2023.

Her coach believes the Nigerian athlete has the ability to push beyond the current collegiate record. According to Kittley, Adeshina has already been attempting jumps around two metres, and if she gets everything right, she could surpass the NCAA record.

The NCAA women’s high jump record of 1.99m was set by Brigetta Barrett of the University of Arizona in 2013. Adeshina currently holds the top NCAA women’s high jump mark for 2026 at 1.96m, ranking fourth in the world this year, strengthening expectations that she could challenge the long-standing record.

Adeshina has also rewritten Nigeria’s national record multiple times, first clearing 1.97m at the NCAA Championships in 2024, a performance that secured her qualification for major international competitions.

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