Leaping Into History
June 06, 2023 | Track & Field
Cameron Crump’s greatness has left quite a mark on the MSU track and field program.
STARKVILLE – With Maroon and White roots running deep in his family, senior Cameron Crump was destined to become a Mississippi State Bulldog.
Crump left his mark as one of the most talented high school athletes Tate County has ever seen, so much so that a banner of Crump was placed in the hallway of Strayhorn High School after he won back-to-back Gatorade Mississippi Boys Track and Field Player of the Year Awards in 2017 and 2018.
As Crump displayed his talent at competitions all over the state, MSU head coach Chris Woods got connected to the outstanding athlete through some of his former teammates in his hometown.
"I remember recruiting Cameron out of high school," Woods said. "He's from the Senatobia area and he knows a few people that I was former teammates with and that's how we got connected. He was a really raw kid, but [he] could do everything under the sun."
Crump made his way down I-55 and arrived on the campus of Mississippi State University in 2019 where he immediately made an impact by placing in the top 10 in many events during his freshman year. In 2021, Crump earned an opportunity to compete in the USATF Olympic Trials where he qualified for the finals by recording a personal best in the long jump at 7.99m.
These days, in 2023, the star-studded athlete has developed into one of the best track and field athletes in the nation. During the Tiger Paw Invitational on the campus of Clemson University, Crump broke the MSU indoor long jump record and the facility record at 8.21m, which earned him the SEC Co-Field Athlete of the Week award.
The awards and honors didn't stop there. Crump won the long jump competition at the SEC Championship in historic fashion by recording the fifth-longest jump in collegiate indoor track and field history at 8.39m.
With his continuous record-breaking performances, Crump earned first-team All-SEC honors and was named the 2023 SEC Men's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year.
He rounded out the indoor season with a second-place finish in the NCAA Championship by tying his personal best from the SEC Championship. Crump's contributions helped the Bulldogs finish 19th in the indoor season, which was the highest national finish for MSU since 2014.
Crump also punched his ticket to this week's NCAA Outdoor Championship with a second-place finish in the long jump competition at the NCAA Regional in late May, continuing to make the most out of his time in Maroon and White – time that, if Woods had his way, would never end.
"Cameron Crump is one of those student-athletes who you wish had an infinite amount of eligibility," Woods said. "I would love for that kid to be around forever, but I'm proud of the work he's done here. He's working on his second degree from Mississippi State and I'm looking forward to what Cameron does on the next level. I certainly think that he's put himself in the position to be competitive on the next level and to potentially be a world champion and Olympic-caliber athlete."
Whether Crump is repping the Maroon and White of Mississippi State or the Red, White and Blue of the USA, he will forever be remembered for his contributions as a Bulldog.
Crump's impact will continue to be felt for years to come in Starkville.
"In the last year and a half, he's started to be more vocal and started to be more assertive with what he expects from his teammates," Woods said. "As a head coach, that's invaluable because getting that peer leadership can be so advantageous for us as coaches and the leadership of the program. I don't think we would be where we are today if Cameron Crump wasn't one of the leaders for this program."
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