TCU’s Gipson Wins National Championship

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DES MOINES, Iowa – Whitney Gipson closed her remarkable career in style Thursday, claiming the National Championship in the women’s long jump to carry TCU on the second day of the 2012 NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships at Drake Stadium.

“This feels great and I am really happy that I was able to closeout my career with another title,” said Gipson. “I just tried to block everything out this week. I couldn’t worry about the pressure of repeating, so I just tried to have fun with it, which I did. It feels good to close my career this way.”

A two-time NCAA Champion, Gipson soared 22 feet, 4 ½ inches on her second attempt Thursday to capture her second-straight NCAA title. She also claimed the 2012 indoor title, tying the previous collegiate record. By doing so, Gipson became the first female student-athlete in TCU history to win an outdoor crown. She is also the only female student-athlete to ever win back-to-back championships in program history. In all, Gipson is the fourth NCAA Outdoor Champion all-time and the first since Khadevis Robinson won the men’s 800 meters in 1998. Gipson joined some rare company Thursday as she is only the second student-athlete in TCU history to win both an indoor and outdoor crown, joining former Frog great Raymond Stewart, who did so in 1989.

“I am so ecstatic for Whitney,” said head coach Darryl Anderson. “She has had a remarkable career and been great for our program. She now has two NCAA titles and a collegiate record, which is a phenomenal career. We have been blessed to have had her in our program. I couldn’t be more happy for her because she is one of the nicest young ladies that you will ever meet and has been from the day she stepped foot on our campus. She has her college degree in communications and has made both her family and TCU proud. Whitney is a remarkable young lady with a very bright future ahead of her. She now heads to Eugene to see if she can make the United States Olympic team.”

In other action Thursday, the women’s 4×400 of Briyanni Thomas, Chaniqua Corinealdi, Ashley Collins and Neferteria Hall closed the night clocking a time of 3:41.89, but failed to make the finals.

TCU will continue action in Des Moines on Friday. The Frogs will begin competition with the men’s triple jump at 4:30 p.m.