Maigan Adams ‘25 jumped her way to being the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Field Athlete of the Year.
Adams, an Economics Major and Race & Ethnic Studies Minor, started her jumping career during her freshman year of high school. The LA native said her family has a history of track participation and skill, especially in running events, which encouraged her to explore different events.
“I felt like focusing more on field was a way for me to pave my own path and leave my mark on track and field,” Adams said.
She found her own groove and now competes in Long and Triple Jump as well as the 4x100m Relay and 100m race. Adams claimed first place in both the Triple and Long Jump events at the April 26-27 SCIAC Championships, with respective marks of 11.97m and 6.64m. She currently sits 36th in the national rankings for Long Jump and sixth in Triple Jump, qualifying for Triple Jump Nationals with a Top-22 ranking. Currently leading the nation is Ebunoluwa Opata ‘25 of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, with a mark of 12.82m (42 ft., 0.74 inches).
Qualifying for nationals has always been a goal for Adams, but one she doesn’t want to be overbearing.
“I don’t want to have to focus too much on what the results are or what’s going to come out of this,” she said.
After the April 12 Pomona Pitzer Invitational, Adams led the nation in NCAA DIII Outdoor Track and Field Triple Jump, setting a personal record (PR) of 12.22m (40 ft., 1.25 inches). She was the first NCAA DIII Outdoor Track and Field competitor in the nation to clear 40 ft. When asked about her performance, Adams said she was happy with the result but not ready to settle.
“I do see that there’s room for improvement and [the coaches and I] have yet to hit a ceiling,” she said. “We’re only going to get better from here.”
The senior has several other accolades to her name, including qualifying for nationals in the outdoor 4x100m Relay her sophomore year, outdoor Triple Jump her junior year and then both indoor and outdoor Triple Jump her senior year. Additionally, she placed 10th at this year’s March 14-15 NCAA DIII Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Rochester, New York, which earned her a 2nd Team All-American honor.
Adams said she was proud to have qualified for her first indoor national championship and enjoyed the experience, but had her eyes set on the May outdoor championships.
“I was more focused on it being a stepping stone to where I wanted to be,” she said. “I knew that wasn’t the end for me.”
This Bulldog athlete holds the Indoor Triple Jump Record with a mark of 11.94m (39 ft., 2.25 inches), and is 0.23m (9 inches) off the University of Redlands’ Outdoor Triple Jump record, which was set by Natalie Calderon in 2008. Adams was also one of three students named Track & Field Individual Sport Athlete of the Year at the University of Redlands’ April 13 Golden Dawgs Banquet. Fellow seniors Chloe Bullock and Jacob Huset were the other students awarded this honor.
Adams will make the last jumps of her college career at the May 22-24 NCAA DIII Outdoor Track & Field National Meet in Geneva, Ohio. You can show your support for Adams, and the six other Bulldog athletes, by watching the livestream.
McKenzie Rose is a freshman at Redlands with interests in Environmental Studies and Journalism. She worked for the last three years as a freelance journalist with the Hermiston Herald, a newspaper near her hometown of Echo, Oregon. She is looking forward to covering the interesting, the exciting, and the intriguing happenings at the university for the Redlands Bulldog!
