Elyria’s Julius Higginbotham earned a spot on the Division III All-American Outdoor Track and Field Championship in his senior season at Baldwin-Wallace. The feat of All-American is the second time he has accomplished this at the college level.

Higginbotham’s jumped 23-foot in the finals which earned him a sixth-place finish. This marked Higginbotham’s best long jump performance in Outdoor Nationals. He took third in indoor long jump in March.

"It’s exciting," said Higginbotham. "To get All-American in anything is an honor and a blessing. It shows that hard work pays off. It was a great feeling to stand on the podium."

This event is especially special to Higginbotham because it is the last event of his collegiate career.

"I’m thankful for all the support over the years," Higginbotham said. "The media has been great and I appreciate everything that Heidelberg University has done for me. I will take these moments with me for the rest of my life."

Higginbotham was also part of the 4x100 meter relay that came up two spots short of making the finals. Higginbotham and Admiral King’s Paris Hilliard were two of four runners that finished in 10th place with a time of 41.61.

"I happily pass the torch to the underclassmen," said Higginbotham. "This gives them a taste of the Nationals and hopefully will get them hungry for next season."

swalker@MorningJournal.com