Tito Alofe Wins Men’s High Jump Title at NCAA Indoor National Championships

Tito Alofe has been an All-American in the men’s indoor high jump for the past two years.

And with the junior’s win in the men’s indoor high jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships on Saturday, he stands on the precipice of being named an All-American for the third straight year — the first to do so in Harvard history.

But such a record-shattering achievement couldn’t happen without a cinematic finish.

The junior cleared a height of 2.24 meters at the men’s high jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships on Saturday, securing first place in a competition that ultimately came down to a tiebreaker.

Oklahoma University’s junior Kyren Washington came in second place with the same height, but Washington’s extra attempt in the final clearance sealed his fate. The Sooners rounded out the event with the best combined team finish, with three individuals placing in the top seven.

With Saturday’s clearance, Alofe, a Crimson Business associate, achieved his personal best and a Crimson program record in the event, one hundredth of a meter ahead of his previous best indoor high jump.

“There were a lot of emotions today. I’ve been trying to focus on clearing heights as early as possible. As I predicted, this meet came down to attempts,” Alofe wrote in a statement. “After 2.18 [meters], everyone missed their first attempt, and I knew it was going to be a type of thing where I had to be as precise as I can be as early as possible if I wanted the result I knew I could achieve.”

“Checking in with my coach, staying grounded before each approach, and trusting in my abilities is what led to success today,” he added.

Alofe had a strong start to the season, beginning with his debut at the Harvard Invitational in late January. Heading into the NCAA Indoor Championships, his height of 2.21 meters stood as the nation’s 12th-best height in the indoor jump — earning him an automatic qualification to the NCAA championships despite missing the Ivy League Championships.

Ahead of the Ivy League Heptagonal Indoor Championships in early March, the junior held the Ivy League’s best height in the event.

Junior Sophia Gorriaran — Harvard’s only other competitor at the NCAA Championships — finished eighth in the 800-meter finals. Gorriaran, the NCAA’s record holder in the 1000-meter and a two-time First-Team All-American, advanced to the final round in the event for the second consecutive season. The junior finished her race in 2:37:72 minutes.

Harvard track and field now turns its focus to the outdoor season, heading on a trip to the Kirk Baptiste Invitational in Texas, which begins on Thursday.

Alofe, a one-time All-American and last year’s Ivy League champion in the outdoor high jump, enters the outdoor season with a program record of 2.25 meters in the high jump. Similarly, Gorriaran enters the outdoor season as a returning All-American and Ivy League champion in the women’s outdoor 800-meter.

—Staff writer Uy B. Pham can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal at ubp.88. Follow him on X @uybpham.