January 22, 1999

University of Kentucky long jumper Ola Sesay was named Trackwire’s Athlete of the Week.

Sesay, a sophomore from Hyattsville, Md., qualified for the NCAA Championships in only the second meet of the indoor season with her leap of 21’01.25″, the best mark in the nation this season. In addition to securing a spot in the long jump competition for the NCAA’s in March, Sesay owns many other titles and awards. In her freshman year at UK, she was named an All-American in 1998 for both the indoor and the outdoor seasons, was the #4 Top Performer in the SEC last indoor season and the #3 Top Performer in the SEC for the outdoor season. In the summer of 1998, she and teammate Lutisha Shittu competed at the World Junior Championships in Annecy, France.

“I believe that great athletes make great coaches. Ola is one of the greatest athletes I have seen in my 17 years of coaching. She is right in the middle of greater things,” Assistant Coach John Kenneson said. “She has a lot of performances left in her, and we are all very excited about her progress.”

Trackwire’s piece on Sesay can be viewed at www.trackwire.com