Chambana Sun

Redshirt junior high jumper and national champion Rose Yeboah has been named the women's Big Ten Field Athlete of the Year, according to an announcement by the conference on Thursday, June 13. Yeboah is the first athlete in her program's history to receive this honor, with Olympic medalist Ashley Spencer previously winning the Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year award in 2013.

"Rose's performance is at a world class level and the Big Ten made the right pick," said Petros Kyprianou, director of track, field and cross country. "It goes without saying that this is the standard we want to compete at. Even though it will take time to establish, Rose wasted no time showing the world where the Illini women's track and field team is headed. We are all so proud of her!"

Yeboah recently achieved a national title in high jump with a record leap of 1.97 meters (6-5 1/2) at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. This accomplishment automatically qualified her for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where she will represent Ghana.

She is not only her program's first women's high jump national champion but also its first-ever field event national champion. The last female athlete from Illinois to win a national title was Spencer in 2013 for the 400m.

Before securing her national title, Yeboah claimed gold in high jump at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships with a clearance of 1.82 meters (5-11 1/2). She became her program's fifth Big Ten champion and its first in over two decades; Stacy Ann Grant was last to achieve this feat in 1998.

Yeboah now focuses on competing at the 2024 African Championships from June 21-26 before heading to Paris for the Olympic Games from July 26 - August 11.