Oregon Ducks junior Jaida Ross is the 2024 NCAA champion in the women’s shot put.

Ross, the NCAA record-holder in the event, threw the shot 64 feet, two and one-half inches Thursday night to secure her first national title. Previously at the Pac-12 Championships, she became the first woman in collegiate history to surpass 20 meters (65.62 feet) and just the seventh woman in American history to do so. Ross said the pressure was palpable coming into Thursday’s championship event.

“I definitely felt the attention,” Ross said. “I used it for a positive as much as I could. …”

A graduate of North Medford High School, where she was a two-time state champion in the shot put, Ross was cheered on by a slew of family members in the stands who made the trip up I-5 to Hayward Field.

“This means the world to me,” Ross said, gesturing to her NCAA championship trophy. “I have my North Medford coaches here … So, to do that in front of them is amazing. They just told me that the only other NCAA champion from North Medford was Dick Fosbury. I am super proud of this.”

After the NCAA championships wrap up, Ross will prepare for the U.S. Olympic trials later this month in Eugene.