NEW ORLEANS, LA. – HBU sophomore Christopher Welch has received All-America honors for the shortened 2020 indoor track & field season after posting the sixth-longest mark in the country in the triple jump during a remarkable campaign that featured three event wins and a pair of second-place finishes.
Welch continually improved on his PR and school record mark as the indoor season went on after opening the year with a then record jump of 15.64m/51-3.75 at the Texas A&M Ted Nelson Invitational. He then bettered that mark by a foot the following weekend, leaping 15.94m/52-3.75 at the FasTrak Collegiate Invitational.
His run of record jumps continued the next week at the University of Houston G5-Super 22 Invitational where he reached 16.00m/52-6 to place second overall, first among collegians. His top jump of the season came on Feb. 22 at the Texas A&M Invitational. He posted a distance of 16.27m/53-4.5 to win the event by three feet and move from 14th on the national performance list to sixth.
Welch earned silver in the triple jump at the Southland Conference Indoor Championships and also qualified for the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships during his sophomore season. In total, through two indoor seasons, he has broken the HBU program record in the event seven times. Welch also became HBU’s first ever indoor championships qualifier.
The USTFCCCA announced the Division I All-America awards on Tuesday afternoon. With the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic the USTFCCCA made the decision to award all 16 student-athletes included on the start list for individual events All-America status.
