McClain Second at USATF Junior Nationals

NORMAN, Okla. -- OU triple jumper Hayden McClain barely missed qualifying for a trip to Eugene, Ore., for the NCAA Championships in late May. He got his trip this weekend and, in the process, earned another trip later this month to the IAAF World Junior Championships.

McClain, a sophomore-to-be, finished second in the triple jump Sunday afternoon, posting a career-best mark of 51-9.25. That mark easily passed the qualifying standard for the world meet to be held in Eugene July 22-27.

McClain had three legal jumps and took the lead in the competition on his second jump after fouling on his first attempt. He held onto the lead until the fifth round of the competition

“I definitely want to jump 16 meters at least at the World Junior meet," McClain said when asked about his next competition. "There's going to be a lot of different countries coming. Being able to qualify and get a top 12 spot is my first goal. From there, I want to try to place top eight, and maybe even better than that, maybe top three.”

McClain finished second in the triple jump in both the Big 12 Outdoor and Indoor championships. His 51-11.75 at the outdoor meet was wind aided so it wasn't eligible for record consideration. His mark today moves him to sixth on the all-time OU career list. He had been ranked eighth with a 50-11.50 from the NCAA Prelims in late May.