Three Heptagonal titles. Three wins. Now all high jumper Maalik Reynolds has to do is get healthy for the NCAA Championships in Boise, Idaho.
The sophomore and outdoor All-American jumped 2.20 meters this weekend en route to a victory at the indoor Ivy League championships. However, he injured his ankle during the meet’s warmups, but should be ready to go for NCAA championships on Mar. 10-11.
The Atlanta native, who has the eighth-highest jump in the country, was in a boot earlier this week, but said he is feeling much better.
“I felt really good,” the 6-foot-7 sophomore said of his recovery. “[The injury] just happened on the spot.”
Reynolds has been rehabbing his ankle and hopes to cap what has already been a great sophomore campaign with another solid performance.
The 2011 Penn Relays champion has steadily improved his indoor marks this season. He even set a new personal best and school record with a 2.23-meter jump at the 105th edition of the Millrose Games in New York.
“It wasn’t too different,” Reynolds said of the meet, which also featured World High Jump champion Jesse Williams. “It was the same kind of atmosphere [as any other meet].”
Reynolds notched his second Heptagonals’ indoor title, after finishing atop the field with a 2.10-meter leap last year. He did not compete at last year’s NCAA Championships due to illness.
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