TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Seminoles.com) – Florida State junior sprinter/jumper Ngoni Makusha formally announced Wednesday afternoon that he will forego his final year of eligibility and begin competing professionally.
Speaking at a prearranged press conference in the Moore Center at Doak Campbell Stadium, Makusha told reporters and others looking on that he is prepared to take the next step in his career.
“I am just really happy to be doing this right now,” Makusha said. “It has been a real long journey for me here at Florida State. I love it here and I still love it. I don’t think I will go anywhere; I will still be a Seminoles. I love working with my coaches and my teammates and I will always cherish that. I think it’s that time of my life and my career that I go to another level.”
And following his world-class, record-breaking performance at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa last week, can you blame him?
Makusha showed off on Drake University’s campus with one of the most dominating overall performances in the history of collegiate track & field. Not only did he win the men’s long jump championship with a Drake Stadium-record leap of 8.40 meters but he also set the new collegiate record in the men’s 100m dash with a time of 9.89 seconds.
He became just the fourth person to ever win both the 100m dash and long jump, joining Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis and DeHart Hubbard. His 100m dash time is the fourth fastest in the world this year and his long jump mark is the second longest.
Makusha, who is in strong contention for the Bowerman Award given annually to the nation’s top track & field performer, also ran the second leg of the men’s 4x100m relay that captured gold.
It is each of these performance that has the world on notice.
In addition to Makusha’s announcement, senior stars Kim Williams, Charles Clark and Brandon Byram each spoke with the media and discussed their plans to pursue professional track & field as well.
Like Makusha, all three seniors will remain in Tallahassee and train on FSU’s campus in the school’s top-flight facilities.
