Elysse Cumberland Takes Triple Jump Title at 2025 NCAA Division III Championships

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (March 15, 2025) - The Tufts University women's indoor track and field team claimed an individual victory in the Triple Jump at the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships through Elysse Cumberland as she landed the ninth best mark in NCAA Division III history en route to the National Championship.

Senior Jordan Andrew also competed in the Triple Jump and had a fantastic day of competition as well. Competing in the first flight, Andrew started strong on her first attempt with an 11.87m, then smashed it on her second go with a personal record-breaking jump of 12.03m,setting the tone for what was to come in the second flight.

Elysse Cumberland started strong in the second flight with a jump of 11.88m, landing her in fourth through round one. Her second jump was a massive improvement of almost half a meter as she jumped for a 12.34 to take over at first place. That mark would have earned her third place nationally, by all means a successful day, but the rookie still had four attempts to improve. While her third through fifth jumps failed to improve, Washington University's Ebunoluwa Opata improved to a 12.39m on her fourth attempt. It came down to the wire, as Cumberland landed a massive 12.60m jump on her final attempt, shattering the previous school record held by 2022 NCAA Division III Indoor Triple Jump Champion Lia Rotti and vaulting the rookie into first place. Cumberland had jumped for a three foot personal record improvement. Initially the 10th seed, she now led by a comfortable margin from Obata, who still had one attempt remaining. The favorite in the event stepped up with a shot to clinch victory, but came up a centimeter short to plant a 12.59m to finish second place to Cumberland, now the official 2025 NCAA Division III Indoor Triple Jump Champion.

Cumberland's National Championship individual win is the first for Tufts since Jaidyn Appel won in the High Jump in the 2023 NCAA Division III Indoor Women's Track and Field Championships. It is the first National Championship in the Triple Jump since the Title win by Rotti in 2022. She becomes the first Jumbo first year to win a national title in over 15 years, and earns her first career All-American nod. 

Cumberland will now shift gears for the outdoor season, which begins next weekend at the Emory Spring Break Classic in Georgia.