Gill Wins Long Jump National Championship

May 22, 2009

Scott Gill soared to a national championship at the NAIA Track & Field National Championships Friday with a leap of 24'5" on his last attempt in the long jump finals. Competing in Edwardsville, Illinois, Gill gives Taylor its 14th track national championship by becoming the seventh different men's track & field athlete to capture an individual crown.

"This monumental achievement for Scott has come about because of his diligence in practice and his ability to be consistent all season long," said Taylor head coach Ted Bowers. "His consistency was there again today. We are just really pleased to have someone back on top of the podium."

A sophomore from Flatwoods, Kentucky, Gill was ranked No. 1 entering Friday's competition, but the victory did not come without some tense moments. Following the prelims, Gill was in third place and was bumped back to fourth place heading into his final jump of the competition.

"All I thought about was I just needed to hit the board and rely on what I've done all year," Gill said about his final attempt that clinched the title. "I was in a similar situation at the conference meet. I said, ‘OK, this is happening again.' I had the experience and I just needed to go out and do what I know how to do."

Gill did just that when he popped off the board and passed all three of the competitors ahead of him with his winning leap, becoming Taylor's first men's track national champion since 2003.

"He just hit the board perfect and it was just what we were looking for," said Bowers.

A year ago as a freshman, Gill was ranked fifth in the long jump entering the competition, but finished a disappointing 11th. Gill, who also plays basketball for the Trojans, did finish fourth in the high jump last season to earn All-American honors, but did not qualify for the event this season.

"I was a little star struck last year in the long jump," said Gill, who was named Mr. Track in Kentucky following his senior year in high school. "That experience from last year definitely helped me today because I knew more of what to expect."

The only other Taylor long jumper in program history to score at the NAIA National Meet was Paul Meriweather, who finished seventh at the championships 20 years ago in 1989.

Following Gill's win, Taylor stood in a tie for sixth place in the meet with 10 points. Concordia (Ore.) was the team leader through six scored events with 36 points.

Gill redirected the praise coming his way after the moment of glory. "Taylor University Track in one word is: amazing. My teammates are not only my friends, but they're my family. The coaches here are great people and coaches. Praise the Lord for what I was able to do today."

Also competing today for the Trojans was Dave Voss in the semifinals of the 400 meter intermediate hurdles. Voss ran a 55.12, failing to qualify for the finals in the event.

UPDATE: The 4 x 400 relay team of Kyle Cassidy, Andy Marston, Dave Voss, and Bryan Allingham clocked a season best time of 3:14.99 in Friday night's prelim to finish fifth in their heat. After all three heats were complete and all 21 teams had run, Taylor finished in 11th place, just three spots from qualifying for finals. The time recorded by the quartet Friday marked a nearly three second improvement from their previous best time of 3:17.48, which ranked 15th coming into the meet.

Long Jump Results  |  Complete Results  | Team Scores