Athlete of the Week: Nebraska track and field’s Tyus Wilson

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) —A Nebraska Cornhusker made history this past week, winning gold at the USA Track and Field Outdoor championships.

Tyus Wilson, a senior for Nebraska Track and Field won the High Jump title, reaching 2.27 meters on his final attempt.

“On that last jump I was sitting there, I had a couple of good jumps there before. I was like, ‘I know it’s in there. I know it’s in there,” said Wilson. “I was just praying, like god if you can make it happen, make it happen.”

Wilson wasn’t just going up against competition his own age. He beat out Olympians, and other professionals, including Juvaughn Harrison, who was an Olympic finalist in 2020. Tyus became just the fourth collegian in the past 25 years to win the high jump title at the outdoor USA Track and Field championships.

“It’s a very hard and rare thing to do,” Wilson said.

Tyus comes from Sterling, KS. But, he’s spent all four years here in Lincoln. He adds it means a lot to represent the University of Nebraska on such a big stage.

Plus, he also credits his success to his coach, Dusty Jonas, a husker high jump legend, Olympian, and  NCAA champion.

“Just the combination of doing so good last year, and getting good training this fall. It all kind of culminated to this summer.”

Wilson placed third in last year’s Track and Field Championships, reaching 2.24 meters.

Growing up, Wilson saw some early signs that high jump was his calling. But, he never would have imagined he’d one day be a gold medalist.

“Going into the fifth grade, I broke some age group national record. That’s when I got my first taste of like, ‘I think I’m actually pretty good at this’.”

As it stands, Tyus is projected to be eligible for the World Championships in Tokyo. In order to qualify, Wilson needs to be ranked in the top 32 in the world. The Championship schedule is set for Sep 13-Sep 21.

But, before Wilson could potentially compete for a world title, he will head to the Bahamas next week for the North American Central American Championships.