The only thing hotter than the heat over the weekend was Shelby McEwen's performance in the high jump competition of the Olympic Trials.
McEwen, a former Northwest men's basketball student-athlete and Abbeville native, finished in the top 12 of Friday's qualifying round and advanced to Sunday's finals, after clearing 2.14 and 2.19 meters without a miss.
Despite facing scorching temperatures and stiff competition on Sunday, McEwen stood out from the field of 12 and finished with a peak of 2.30 meters, good enough for third place and a spot on the Team USA roster for the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
"It's still just mind-blowing to me," McEwen said this week. "It's an honor and a privilege to be in this position."
A former standout for the track and basketball programs at Oxford High School, McEwen signed to play for former coach Bubba Skelton and the Northwest men's basketball program. During his two seasons in Senatobia, McEwen played in every game and developed into an every day starter by his sophomore season. In 49 career contests, he averaged 5.3 points, three rebounds and 1.1 assists per game, along with 46 career steals and 17 blocks.
Following his time at Northwest, McEwen chose to stick with track and field and landed at the University of Alabama, where he earned numerous All-American and All-SEC accolades, including a pair of indoor and outdoor high jump SEC championships in 2018. During the 2019 indoor and outdoor seasons, McEwen collected first place finishes in several events, most notably the NCAA Indoor Championship with a 7-6 mark (2.29m).
The 2020 Summer Olympics, which were delayed a year due to COVID-19, will begin on July 23 and conclude on August 8. Coverage will be carried across the NBCUniversal networks, including NBC, NBCSN, USA Network and more.
