Texas Tech high jumper, Temitope Adeshina, says she was spurred to win a third consecutive Big 12 indoor conference title by her rivalry with Kansas State jumper Sharie Enoe, who finished second in the final, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Adeshina secured her third straight Big 12 indoor high jump crown after clearing 1.96m on Friday, equalling the second-best mark in her school’s history.
The clearance also set a new meet record, surpassing the previous mark of 1.93m set by Akela Jones in 2016 and Destinee Hooker in 2009.
In doing so, she became the first woman in Big 12 history to win three consecutive indoor high jump titles since Rylee Anderson achieved the feat between 2021 and 2023.
To claim her latest title, Adeshina faced stiff competition from Kansas State’s Sharie Enoe, who finished second with a mark of 1.93m.
Adeshina admitted that Enoe played a key role in pushing her to victory.
“For me, competing with her, she’s the reason behind the jump. I don’t want to lose to her, so I had to put more effort into it,” she told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
The Nigerian has now remained unbeaten in her career at Big 12 championship meets, bringing her total number of conference titles in the event to five—three indoor and two outdoor.
“I’m so happy and blessed to do that,” she said after the meet.
Following Adeshina’s impressive performance, the Red Raiders swept both the men’s and women’s titles at the end of the meet on Saturday inside the Sports Performance Center.
The men claimed their fourth consecutive title with 125 points, while the women secured their second straight title with 114.5 points.
Earlier this season, the 27-year-old was named on The Bowerman mid-indoor watch list, placing her among the top collegiate athletes. She became the fourth Texas Tech female athlete to earn the recognition, joining Ruth Usoro (2021–22), Monae’ Nichols (2021), and Demisha Roswell (2022).
She currently holds the NCAA’s top high jump mark of 1.96m, which ranks fourth globally.
For Nigeria, she has broken the national record three times. She first cleared 1.97m at the NCAA Championships in June 2024 before equalling the mark at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships last season to qualify for the 2025 World Athletics Championships.
By: Abiodun Adewale
