Jaydon Hibbert is one and done.
The Arkansas track-and-field star announced Thursday he was turning professional after one year with the Razorbacks. But what a year it was.
Hibbert won both the SEC indoor and outdoor and the NCAA indoor and outdoor national championships in the triple jump. He also set two college records while doing so. That led his winning of the the Bowerman Award, the Heisman trophy equivalent of track-and-field, in December.
“You have been more than just a school to me, You’ve been a family!” Hibbert wrote. “To all my coaches, teammates and professors, you’ve shaped me into the athlete and person I am today! You’ve instilled in me the RAZORBACK spirit which I’ll carry with me on my professional journey!”
Hibbert broke the NCAA record for indoor triple jump in March by bounding 57-6 1/2, besting a total set by Charleston Southern’s Charlie Simpkins back in 1986. Hibbert then broke Keith Connor’s outdoor record of 57-7 3/4 by leaping 58-7 1/2. Connor’s record had held since 1982.
The Paris Olympics begin in about six months and Hibbert is expected to be in the running for a medal in the triple jump for his country of Jamaica. He did not say with whom he was signing professionally when he made his announcement.