April 17, 2004 – COLUMBIA,SC – Under the backdrop of a setting sun and to the slow rhythmic clapping and chants of “Keith,” “Keith,” “Keith,” Morehouse College freshman Keith Moffatt soared over the bar on his first attempt at the height, winning the SIAC high jump championship, with a record-breaking leap of 7’-4 ½” Saturday, in Columbia, SC.

The high jump competition was part of the SIAC Spring Sports Championships being hosted by Benedict College and held at the University of South Carolina. Baseball, tennis and track and field crowned conference champions during the four-day event that began with a banquet to celebrate all the student-athletes and to announce the All-Conference teams in each sport.

Moffatt was already named to the NCAA Division II All-America Team in February, after winning the national indoor high jump competition, in Boston. His winning jump on Saturday could earn him even more acclaim. He has already qualified to compete at the Division II national championships in May, and he could qualify for the Olympic trials this summer.

The Newport News, VA native is currently the number three ranked jumper among all collegians and he is number four in the United States.

Moffat’s leap broke the previous Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference high jump record of 7’-4” set in 2002 by current Morehouse senior Jason Cornelius. Hampered by a nagging injury, but still a threat to win the competition, Cornelius finished second in this year’s event.

Moffat’s winning jump also continues the recent domination of the high jump event by Morehouse student-athletes, which dates back nearly a decade. Last year current Morehouse student Jared Stearne won the conference title. And before Cornelius’s title, Jesse Lipscombe and Greg Roberts won the event.

At the urging of the crowd and SIAC officials who continued to clap and chant his name, the freshman jumping sensation attempted to break the USC stadium record of 7’-5” but after three attempts, his tired legs failed to cooperate and he settled for the conference record and the championship trophy.