ALBANY, N.Y. – For the first time since the 2019 season, the University at Albany track & field program will send a representative to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.  Louis Gordon, a junior from Bodden Town, Grand Cayman, will compete in the men's long jump.
 
Meet Info
NCAA Outdoor Championships
June 7 – 10 | Austin, Texas
Championship Central | Live Results
Streaming: Main | Long Jump
 
Gordon is the first long jumper to qualify for national championships in the program's Division I era, and only the second horizontal jumper in the same time span, following men's triple jumper Devon Willis in 2019.  Gordon is the 12th member of the men's team to qualify for Division I outdoor championships, after Joe Greene and Marc Pallozzi broke through in 2006.
 
Primarily a high jumper upon his arrival at UAlbany, Gordon switched events to the long jump after suffering an injury that compromised his approach and take-off step in his original event.  Before the switch, however, Gordon was just the fourth member of the UAlbany program to clear 7-00.00, behind Alex Bowen, Matthew Campbell, and Kingsley Ogbonna.  Gordon's best high jump mark of 7-02.25 from the 2020 indoor season ranks as the third-best indoor and overall mark in program history.
 
Since moving to the long jump, Gordon now holds the outdoor and overall program record of 25-04.75, set during the 2022 season.  In 2023, Gordon has recorded marks of 25-00.00 or better on three occasions.  Gordon is the only individual in program history to hit 25-00.00 or better in the long jump, and has done so four times in his career.
 
Gordon's 2022-23 season began with the first indoor meet of the year, the Carlton Crowell Open at Army West Point on December 3.  There, he won the long jump in 24-01.00 and set a personal-best in the 60m dash of 7.16.  The following week, Gordon placed third in the long jump at the Joe Donahue Games in 23-02.50.
 
Following the semester break, Gordon recorded a mark just shy of 24', placing fifth at the Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge in 23-10.75.  This was also the first meet of the season where Gordon competed in the high jump, clearing 6-04.75.  The following week, at Boston University's Bruce Lehane Scarlet & White Invitational, Gordon won the long jump in 23-09.50.
 
Gordon got back over 24' at the 2023 America East Indoor Championships, winning the long jump in 24-03.75, the best indoor mark of his career, and the fifth-best indoor mark in program history.  It was the third America East event title of Gordon's career, and the first in the long jump.
 
Outdoors, Gordon attempted to compete at the UCF Black & Gold Invitational but fouled each of his attempts.  He did not compete again until the 2023 Bobbi Palma UAlbany Spring Classic, more than a month later.  There, he won the long jump with a mark of 25-00.00.  The following week, at Penn Relays, Gordon placed second in the Championship division of the men's long jump in 24-03.50.
 
At the 2023 America East Outdoor Championships, Gordon recorded his second-best mark ever of 25-04.50 to win the long jump and complete the season sweep of the indoor and outdoor event titles.  The mark set an America East championship meet record, breaking the previous mark of 24-11.25 set in 2021 by Hartford's Terrel Davis, making Gordon the only individual at America East championships to break 25' in the long jump.  Gordon's efforts earned the 2023 Outdoor Men's Most Outstanding Field Performer Award.
 
Moving on to the NCAA East Preliminary Championships, Gordon was the first of 12 Great Danes to compete over the four-day meet.  Drawing position six in flight three, Gordon's first of three attempts landed at 24-01.25 and in 11th place, just on the edge of the top-12 needed to advance to NCAA Outdoor Championships.  His second jump, 25-04.00, moved him into fifth place and comfortably into the qualifying pool.  Gordon fouled his third and final jump, but remained in fifth place to advance.
 
Taking the West Preliminary qualifiers into account, Gordon's performance was tied for the ninth-best among 24 total qualifiers.  His best mark of the season, 25-04.50, leads the America East and the Northeast Region, ranks 18th in the East Division, and ranks 43rd among all NCAA Division I competitors.
 
Gordon has drawn position 12 in the second of two flights.  The top nine competitors in the field of 24 after three rounds will advance to the final and earn three more attempts.  The event begins at 9:00 pm EST Wednesday.
 
NCAA Outdoor Championships will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks.  The primary broadcast will take place on ESPN2, and the field events, including the long jump, will feature their own dedicated streams on ESPN+.