NJCAA celebrates Black History Month: Brittney Reese
NJCAA celebrates Black History Month Photo Gallery
Charlotte, NC - To honor and celebrate Black History Month, each Friday during the month of February, the NJCAA will highlight four former African-American student-athletes who seized their NJCAA opportunity, using it to build towards a revolutionizing career in athletics. The NJCAA's fourth spotlight series highlights an alumna who has made an impact at every stage she has participated in, including the NJCAA, NCAA, and Olympic levels. Today we the NJCAA will spotlight Olympic gold medalist and seven-time world champion Brittney Reese.
Born in Inglewood, CA, Reese moved to Mississippi to attend NJCAA member college Mississippi Gulf Coast after winning a high school state championship in the long jump and triple jump. While in Perkinston, Reese continued her athletic career as a member of the women's basketball team. Following her time as a Bulldog, Reese found her way back to the pit while attending the University of Mississippi.
Reese excelled when finding the long jump as her specialized event. Dedication to the long jump led Reese to earn back-to-back NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship titles in 2007 and 2008. In 2008, Reese qualified for her first Olympic Games in Beijing.
During the 2009 World Champions in Berlin, Germany, Reese won her first international event with a mark of 23ft 3 ½ in (7.10 m) in the long jump. Reese went on to win seven World Championship medals between 2009 and 2017. One of Reese's biggest achievements came at the 2012 London Olympic games when a 23 ft 4 ¼ in (7.12 m) performance earned a gold medal. She later won a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Throughout her career, Reese has made an impact at every organization she has been involved with. Many young student-athletes dream their entire lives of participating on the Olympic stage for their country. Reese's hard work and dedication has shined through, participating in three Olympic games while medaling in two.
Today, Reese's story has come full circle. She has gone from being the student-athlete to being the coach. Reese currently resides in California and serves as an assistant coach at San Diego Mesa College, a two-year college in of the California Community Colleges Athletic Association.
To view the full series, visit: NJCAA celebrates Black History Month: A Four-Week Series
