LEXINGTON, Ky. — Roy Morris liked Oregon so much as a freshman in 2025, he rose to the occasion to earn another trip this time around.
Morris posted a personal record of 25-7 1/4 in the long jump to make his second appearance in nationals in as many seasons on the strength of a sixth-place finish Wednesday night at the NCAA East Regional Championships on the campus of the University of Kentucky.
“It feels great to make it back,” Morris said. “I am very excited to get this chance again. I came into this meet focused on doing my best and making it to nationals again. To PR again this meet just pushes me to keep working. I always pray and ask God and my Pop Pop to help me make it and finish strong. I focus only on myself and what I need to do.”
Despite his previous best leap of 25-4 being ranked No. 23 among 48 qualifiers in the NCAA East, he will be among 24 jumpers– 12 from the East, and 12 more from the West Region – to advance to Oregon.
Morris once again performed his best when it was needed, especially against a strong group of competitors.
Last season at the East regional, Morris posted a jump of 24-8 ¼ on a rainy day to finish ninth and earn his trip to nationals.
“We’ve heard comments about how we were lucky and the weather helped him get in last year,” assistant coach Alex Wills said. “So, we definitely had some motivation going in this year.
“But really, Roy is just a gamer and knows how to keep a level head when it’s go time. For him to come out and jump over 25 feet on all three attempts was amazing to see. Now it’s time to get back to work and see what we can do in Eugene.”
It is his second personal best in as many meets, as he PR’d to take the gold at the Southland Championships.
He aims to become a two-time All-American as a freshman and sophomore in an outdoor open event for the first time by a Northwestern competitor since Cody Fillinich in the javelin back in 2005 and 2006.
Also in the long jump, Elijah Rowe recorded a jump of 24-1.5 to finish 29th.
In the shot put, La’Darion Dudley finished 41st with a toss of 55-9.25.
On the track, Will Achee narrowly missed out on advancing in the 400-meter dash with a 26th-place finish, running a 45.92. The top 24 in running events moved on to Friday night regional finals/national quarterfinals.
Teammate Charlie Bartholomew finished closely behind with a 46.18 to come in 32nd.
Kalen Beavers came in 43rd in the 100-meter dash, running a 10.51. Dishaun Lamb ran a 14.34 in the 110-meter hurdles, also finishing 43rd.
Next up is the women’s turn, as the Lady Demons start their regionals Thursday. The Demons’ 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams run Friday.