Albuquerque, N.M., March 11, 2023 – University of South Florida track and field student-athlete Romaine Beckford won the men's high jump at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, concluding his undefeated 2023 indoor campaign. 
 
"I am so happy for Romaine," head coach Erik Jenkins said, "He has worked extremely hard to put himself in a position to compete for the national championship he just won. To make this meet is extremely hard but to win a national title against that field is no easy feat. Romaine Beckford, a student from USF, is the NCAA Champion. What a day for the Bulls!"

Beckford finished with a jump of 2.24 meters (7-4 .25), claiming the first-place position. He is the first-ever indoor national champion for the Bulls. The last national champion was in 1993, when Jon Dennis defended his title in the outdoor 5K.

Beckford entered the NCAA championships seeded third after winning the American Athletic Conference High Jump Championship with a leap of 2.26 meters (7-5.00). That mark is now the AAC and USF program record.

Beckford was the 2022 AAC Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field High Jump Champion. 

About USF Track and Field
The USF track and field team has earned 53 All-America selections and at least one All-American in 10 of the last 12 years, including a record eight athletes claiming 11 honors in 2021. Tampa native Shaniya Benjamin set a program record earning three All-American honors during the 2021 outdoor season, while triple jumper Matthew O'Neal, a 2016 graduate, became USF's first six-time NCAA All-American. Bulls have posted two NCAA runner-up finishes since 2013 - O'Neal (triple jump, 2016) and Courtney Anderson (high jump, 2013). Head coach Erik Jenkins took over the program in 2020 and in the 2021 outdoor season the Bulls posted seven program records and 40 top 10 all-time program marks. USF hosted the 2018 NCAA Track and Field East Preliminary and the 2021 AAC Outdoor Championship at the USF Track and Field Stadium located on the east end of campus.