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July 20, 2008

TOLUCA, Mexico - University of Louisville jumper and former NCAA champion Andre Black closed the 2008 NACAC Under 23 Championships with a pair of medal-winning performances for Team USA, including the gold medal in Sunday' triple jump competition and the silver medal in Friday's long jump event.

A native of Mobile, Ala., Black becomes the first UofL athlete to win a medal at the NACAC U23 Championships, which are held every two years in one of the 32 member nations of the North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association, one of six regional athletics associations affiliated with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

On Sunday, Black had a leap of 52 feet, 2.50 inches (15.91m) to win gold in the triple jump and lead a Team USA sweep of the top two positions. University of Arkansas standout Nkosinza Balambu was second with a leap of 51-09.25. Overall, Team USA led the way at the NACAC U23 Championships with 62 total medals, including 28 gold medals.

On Friday, Black won his first career NACAC medal with a second-place finish in the long jump with a leap of 25-08.25 (7.83m) to win silver. Team USA teammate and former Arizona State standout Matt Turner won the gold in the long jump with a leap of 26-01.50.

On July 4, Black competed at the US Olympic Team Trials earning a 17th-place finish in the men's triple jump. The 2007 NCAA indoor triple jump champion completed his junior season for the Cards with a runner-up finish in the triple jump at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships on June 14 in Des Moines, Iowa. It was the second straight runner-up finish for Black in the triple jump at the outdoor national championships.

Up next, Louisville's summer of international events will conclude with head coach Ron Mann serving as the men's middle distance coach for Team USA at the 2008 Beijing Olympics on Aug. 8-24.