Tinch triumphs in three events at MIAA championship meet, including wind-aided 12.97 in 110-meter hurdles for second-fastest all-conditions mark in collegiate history behind only Nehemiah, along with wind-aided 27-0.50 (8.24m) long jump that is No. 2 all-time in Division 2, trailing just Dilworth

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Cordell Tinch has yet to compete in an NCAA championship race in the 110-meter hurdles, and yet the Pittsburg State star has already achieved a career performance that only the legendary Renaldo Nehemiah surpassed as a college athlete.

Tinch, a sophomore, won the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association title in the 110 hurdles May 7 in a wind-aided 12.97 seconds at Lincoln University in Missouri, producing the second-fastest all-conditions performance in collegiate history, as well as the best all-conditions mark in the world this year.

Tinch, who had a +3.0 meters per second wind reading in the final, also had a +2.8 wind supporting his 13.07 effort in the prelims.

“I do want a wind-legal time in the next few races just to quiet some of the noise I’ve been receiving saying that it is only due to wind,” said Tinch, who became one of 20 male athletes in global history to run 12.97 or faster in the 110 hurdles under all conditions.

“I would like to go out and put a number out there and leave no room for any doubts about what I can do.” 

Nehemiah, representing Maryland, achieved the all-conditions collegiate best at the 1979 NCAA Division 1 Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., by running 12.91 with a +3.5 m/s wind reading.

Florida star Grant Holloway still holds the wind-legal collegiate all-time mark of 12.98 from 2019, with Florida State graduate Trey Cunningham, former Kentucky standout Daniel Roberts and Nehemiah all producing wind-legal collegiate performances of 13.00.

Omar McLeod, a former Arkansas star, clocked 12.97 as a collegiate athlete competing at the 2015 Jamaican Championships in Kingston.

“It honestly is insane to think about,” Tinch said. “I haven’t thought about it in that way (in comparison to those elite athletes).”

The MIAA conference meet was the first time Tinch had competed since winning the elite invitational 110 hurdles race April 15 at the 63rd Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., with a wind-aided 13.22 (+2.2 m/s) performance.

Tinch set the Division 2 record with a wind-legal 13.32 effort April 12 at the Cal State L.A. Twilight event.

“We have seen that we have had a lot of potential due to the few races we have had so far in the season, so we made the decision to honestly use the time from California till conference to get healthy,” Tinch said. “We had a lingering injury from indoor and were able to take the proper steps to get healthy and feel good. We followed our same course of action working on all the technical aspects of each one of my events to go out and put a performance (together) like we were able to this past weekend.”

Tinch’s success at the conference final wasn’t limited to only the 110 hurdles.

He produced the No. 2 all-conditions long jump in Division 2 history with a wind-aided 27-0.50 (8.24m) effort in the second round.

Tinch trails only Division 2 record holder Kevin Dilworth of Abilene Christian and his 1996 wind-legal standard of 27-9.50 (8.47m) among all-time seasonal performances.

Mississippi College legend Larry Myricks and Ashland graduate Sean Robbins both surpassed 27 feet as Division 2 collegiate athletes competing in summer events.

Tinch also won the MIAA high jump title with a 7-1.75 (2.18m) clearance on his first attempt. He boasts an indoor-best 7-3.25 (2.22m) from the MIAA final in February at Pittsburg State’s Robert W. Plaster Center.

Tinch, who won the 60 hurdles and high jump crowns in addition to a 10th-place finish in the long jump at the Division 2 Indoor Championships in March in Virginia Beach, is motivated to compete in three events again May 25-27 at the outdoor final in Pueblo, Colo., as top-ranked Pittsburg State pursues another team title.

“Absolutely, gonna go in with the same mindset I went into indoor with and be looking for three more trophies,” Tinch said. “Also, I want to contribute my part towards our team goal to keep building on our indoor season. In leading up to our national meet, I just want to get more technical with each one of my events, while also being as healthy as possible because feeling good for me is just as big of a deal as my training.”