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

Two local athletes will be competing at the Division III Outdoor Track and Field Nationals at Baldwin Wallace College this week.

Elyria's Julius Higginbotham and Admiral King's Paris Hilliard look to end their college careers on top.

Higginbotham will compete in the long jump and the 4x100 relay. At the Gregory Invitational last week, he set the school record in the 100 (10.84). His jump of 23 feet, 1.75 inches at the 2010 Ohio Athletic Conference Championships was an automatic qualifier.

Hilliard will also run in the 4x100 relay which also set a school record (41.45) last week. He has received All-Ohio Honorable Mention six times.

Hilliard and Higginbotham qualified for nationals in the same event in 2007.

Long jump trials and finals will be on Thursday at 6 p.m. The 4x100 finals will be on Saturday at 1 p.m.

"It’s close to home," Higginbotham said. What a better way to end my college career. It adds more excitement to be in the position that I’m in and it just seems that it’s meant to be."

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Elyria’s Julius Higginbotham was named the Ohio Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the Week for his performance last week in the long jump and triple jump.

Higginbotham led the ‘Berg in the Northwest Ohio Invitational with a NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 23-3 inches. His jump currently stands third in the nation.


The 2009, indoor national qualifier in the long jump, also made an impression in the triple jump, finishing second with a jump of 42-5.5.


Higginbotham concluded his day on the track where he sprinted to an eighth place finish in the 60-meter dash, in a time of 7.18.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

TERRE HAUTE, Indiana - Elyria’s Julius Higginbotham took ninth place for Heidelberg University in the long jump at the Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships held in March at the Rose Hulman Institute in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Higginbotham earned a spot in the finals with a jump of 22-9 3/4 on his first jump. In his three jumps in the finals, Higginbotham tied his qualifying mark to secure his final placing, which just missed the All-American podium.

Higginbotham closes out his indoor season as the school record holder in the 55-meter dash (6.39) and was tabbed the Bud Yoest Field Athlete of the Meet and the Don Frail Sprinter of the Meet at the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships, after winning the 55-meter dash and the long jump, while standing second in the triple jump.

Higginbotham helped Heidelberg finish in second place in the OAC - taking top honors in the long jump (22-9) at the OAC Championships hosted by Wilmington College. He was also on the 4x100-meter relay team that earned runner-up honors and all-conference recognition after placing second with a time of 41.86.

Heidelberg took third place at the All-Ohio Championships hosted by Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. Higginbotham took home the championship in the long jump with a leap of 22-7. He also was fifth in the 100-meter dash (10.97) and took fourth in the 4x100-meter relay (42.72).

Higginbotham also plays on the ‘Berg’s football team that went 4-6 last season. He was sixth on the team with 57 tackles last year. As a sophomore, he made six starts and made 37 tackles, including a career-high 10 against Oberlin. As a freshman, he played in nine games and made seven tackles.

swalker@MorningJournal.com