Texas Southern long jumper Kenneth Pree is flirting with history when the Houston native qualified for the upcoming NCAA Men’s Track & Field National Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Pree, a sophomore for the Tigers, qualified during this week’s West Preliminary Championships in College Station, making a personal-best jump of 24-9 on his first jump in 92-degree heat on Wednesday. He fouled his second jump before nailing his qualifying jump with a 25-1 ¾-feet distance.
Pree, a 6-foot-4 track standout from Clear Brooks, claimed the 12th and final spot to nationals on his final jump. Coming into this week’s West Preliminary Championships, his personal best had been 24-2.25 feet.
Pree, who transferred to TSU from the University of Houston, is the first TSU men’s track & field athlete to qualify for nationals since the 4×400-meter relay team did so in 2012. Now Pree has a chance to be the first Tiger to be crowned champion since Paul Emordi who won the national title with a 27-0 ¾-feet jump in 1987.
The NCAA Men’s Track & Field National Championships are set for June 9-12.
Follow Terrance Harris on Twitter @terranceharris
