Todd second in NCAA competition

Southern Miss track and field athlete Corvell Todd rose to the occasion Saturday at the NCAA Indoor Championships, shattering the previous school record to earn second place in the high jump with a clearance of 7’6.0” at the Birmingham (Ala.) CrossPlex.

“It feels good to break the school record and accomplish something that everybody knew was inside of me,” Todd said following the record-breaking performance. “To come this far, I just want to thank the man upstairs for everything.”

The Byhalia native becomes the highest male finisher at the NCAA Indoor Championships in program history with his second-place performance, joining Kenny Glenn, who finished third in the 55m dash in 1989, as medal-winners for the men’s team and becoming one of just three Southern Miss student-athletes to medal at an NCAA meet.

“Corvell brought his A-game on the right day,” head coach Jon Stuart said. “We’re sure proud of him and can’t ask for anything more than someone giving their best on the biggest stage of the season.”

Todd was the only jumper in the competition to clear the first five heights on his first attempt, surpassing the previous school record and Conference USA record on his fourth jump at 7’5.0.”

After Todd once again cleared the bar at 7’6.0” on his first attempt, the only jumper left in the competition, Vernon Turner of Oklahoma, elected to pass the height after missing on his first attempt and cleared a facility record of 7’7.25” on his last chance to capture the national title in the event.

“Corvell did what Corvell does,” jumps coach Jamaal Barnes said. “He’s been a big-time championship performer everywhere that he’s been. This wasn’t surprising. He just went out and executed to what some would be a day of a lifetime, but to us, is the day that we’ve been talking about and expecting since he got here.”

Todd joins triple jumper John Warren as the only two-time NCAA First Team All-Americans, following his fifth-place performance a season ago at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships.

He and the rest of the Southern Miss track and field team now turn their attention to the outdoor season, with the squads splitting between the Texas Relays in Austin and the Al Schmidt Bulldog Relays hosted by Mississippi State on Mar. 24-26.

Editor’s Note: This is a press release from Southern Miss.