Lincoln ties history with sixth All-American National finish

MARION, Ind. - Despite not reaching as high as he was hoping, Myles Lincoln still did enough to make Union men's track and field history on Friday.

The junior triple jump standout made the Outdoor All-American team for the third time and earned the sixth total All-American finish of his Bulldog career with a fifth-place mark of 15.12 meters at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Lincoln, who is also a three-time Indoor All-American, joins Johnnie Nabors as the lone six-time All-Americans in school history. Lincoln, Nabors and Armond Smith are the only Bulldogs to make three Outdoor All-American teams.

"Not what I was looking for, but I was still proud of what I did," said Lincoln, who entered as the No. 2 seed after jumping 15.37 meters at the Drake Relays in April. "I'm pretty proud of finishing with a 15.12."

Lincoln hit his top mark on his last jump of the day, which moved him from seventh to fifth in the final rankings. He nearly leapt all the way to the runner-up spot, as Florida Memorial's Jaylen Coleman (15.19), Xavier-Louisiana's Blake Harris (15.14) and Tennessee Wesleyan's Tevon Shuler (15.13) were all less than one-tenth of a meter ahead of him.

Harris' teammate Seth Alexander was the winner at 15.39 meters.

Lincoln's record-setting career is no surprise to his head coach, who's been anticipating such success for some time.

"Myles can go as far as Myles wants to go," head coach Chris Jelks said. "When you've known someone since he was eight, nine years old and you've seen him mature and grow into what everyone else already knows...it's great."

Lincoln viewed the 2023 season as "kind of a breakthrough," that saw him eclipse his own program triple jump record, as well as the meet record at the Appalachian Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships.

He was also proud he could continue his All-American run and solidify his standing as one of the best field athletes in the country.

"It's good because I'm consistent," he said. "Everybody's used to seeing me here. I'm just happy to be here and to continue the streak."