MORROW, Ga. – Having become just the third Laker, men's or women's to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the high jump, Clayton State senior Destiny Johnson (New Iberia, La.) will be checking in with updates throughout her time in Kingsville, Texas. Today is the second of those updates.
 
Tuesday, May 21, 2019 (Second of Two)
I began my morning at around 10 a.m. back at the track. I guess I was just trying to expand on what I already know, perfect it really. Today was a bit different because it was waaaaay more people there early this morning.
 
I met at least eight of the girls that I'm competing against. They were all really sweet. We kinda worked together to make sure everyone got a sufficient amount of time on the pit. Today was also my first time seeing the jumbotron on and live. They played clips of previous NCAA championship meets. I even saw a few people I knew!
 
After practice I went back to the hotel to prepare for the athletes social/dinner hosted by the NCAA. This was also absolutely wonderful. It was on an aircraft carrier and the info I had received about it did absolutely no justice to this humongous ship we were allowed on.
 
There were flight simulations, tours and over four different levels of the ship, including the top level being covered with actual fighter jets for us to explore. Upon entering the dining area, all of the tables were covered with pictures of every athlete in the competitions this weekend and it was essentially a scavenger hunt. Once you found your picture, you got to keep it. This was also kind of funny because I ended up finding two pictures of myself!
 
The social was exactly that. I met so many athletes that I promised to support in competition & we all kind of explored together. There were also some familiar faces from previous meets which was also pretty comforting.
 
After leaving the social on the way back to the hotel, coach and I found a huge outlet mall that I have every intention of exploring as soon as I get some free time! The night ended with me taking a dip in the pool just as a shake out and Thursday begins the first day of competition. I can't wait!
- - - - -
 
Be sure to check out www.ClaytonStateSports.com tomorrow, Friday, May 24 for additional coverage of Destiny's trip to the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championships, including her competition in the high jump at 6:05 p.m. (EST).