Jumping ahead: Alumna sets sights on Olympics
Cal State L.A. alumna Omonike Kotey ‘08 has been taking leaps of faith for years.
A track competitor since the time she was eight, Kotey has earned several All-American honors and titles for her long and triple jumps at the high school and collegiate level. She also has aspirations to compete in the 2012 Olympics in London.
But, this competitor didnÂt stick her longest — and most hard sought jump, as she describes it — until last spring, at the 2008 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field National Championships. There Kotey soared to a seasonÂs best of 40 feet, 1 ¼ inches in the triple jump, earning an individual national championship title.
“I cried,” said Kotey, who now works in a girls group home in Fullerton. “I went to get my award and I was shaking. I was just in awe. It was such a great feeling.”
Kotey said that earning a national championship title was an achievement she had dreamt about since she stepped onto campus. She came to CSULA from Saddleback College, after accepting an athletic scholarship from the University.
ItÂs KoteyÂs commitment and her determination to succeed that made her successful both on and off the field at CSULA, coaches said. And those attributes have continued to serve her well as she made the jump from school to social work, and as she eyes possible masterÂs degree programs.
“Track has taught me a lot about discipline and determination,” Kotey said. “When I go for something, no matter what it is, I go for it all the way.”
In good company
Cal State L.A. boasts 25 Olympian alums -1 Bronze, 8 Silver and 10 Gold Medalists! And, an alumna modeled for the bronze by the L.A. Coliseum.