DANVILLE, Ky. - Freshman high jumper Tykeem Taul-Williams of Bardstown did not need long to more than justify Centre College coach Lisa Owens' belief that he could make it to the Division III NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships both this season.

He won the high  jump with a school-record jump of 6 feet, 6 3/4 inches in his collegiate debut and then also won his second meet by clearing 6-4 3/4.

Taul-Williams also played football at Centre, the sport he was first recruited for by the Colonels. However, he also got a chance to work out with Centre track jumping coach Ernest Mosheleketi.

"He really wanted to see me come here, too. So I just decided to do both sports," Taul-Williams said.

He was the Class 2A state high jump champion in 2024 and finished second in 2025 when he was expected to win again but pulled his hamstring.

"It was on one of my  last jumps to beat the dude in front of me and pulled my hamstring," the Centre freshman said.

Taul-Williams had cleared 6-8 1/4 his senior year, which was almost three inches higher than his state championship winning jump in 2024.

He's always played football and basketball along with participating in track.

"Basketball was actually more just to keep me busy between football and track," he said.

He knew it would be a "whole different atmosphere" in his first college football season. He didn't make a catch for the Colonels after having 37 receptions for 547 yards and six scores his high school senior season.

"I love the atmosphere, love the coaches, love the players. Next year I think we are expecting to do way more as a team," Taul-Williams said. "A lot of people don't understand that it is not easy to just walk in and play college football, especially at the skilled positions. I had a couple of older friends come into the same type of situation, so I knew what to expect and it would be a process to get on the field and make plays."

Obviously, making an impact for the track team was no issue. He didn't even realize he broke the Centre high jump record in his debut until someone told him.

"Doing that actually gave me more confidence to keep on competing and getting better. I want to beat the record again," the freshman said. "I want to go 6-10, maybe 7-foot."

He says while many assume jumping indoors is easier than outdoors, that's not always true because some indoor surfaces have more bounce than he likes.

Taul-Williams appreciates the confidence Owens has in him and he understood the success and expectations the Centre track & field program has.

"It's really a quality team. Everybody has been so welcoming and that helped me settle in quickly," Taul-Williams said. "The talent on our team is really good and that competition in practice really pushes you to get better."

Taul-Williams is also a triple jumper. He was only a sprinter his high school freshman season until he "tried" jumping late in the season and realized that is where he could have the most success.

"I knew track could help my speed for football but then I ended up really liking track and it kind of took over," he said. "I could always jump pretty high and people saw that in basketball. My high school jump coach said I should try the high  jump and I thought it was fun even though I did have a fear of landing on my neck. Then I learned if you have a decent coach you won't land on your neck and after that I really never had any fears about the high jump."

Taul-Williams, a business major, is not exactly sure about his future plans. Owning a sports team appeals to him but so does perhaps having his own electrical business.

"Some of my family are electricians and I've done some work with them. So that could be the plan down the line. Or maybe like a sports business or team," he said.

Taul-Williams appreciates having enough time "to be your own person" on the Centre campus. He likes hanging out with friends or "maybe shooting hoops." He found time to make the short trip home to Bardstown a few times during football season.

Football/track teammate Cree Ross, a junior from Panama City, Fla., has been a huge help to Taul-Williams. Ross was an All-American in the triple jump at both the indoor and outdoor national championships in 2025.

"He can really, really jump. It was crazy the first time I saw him," Taul-Williams said. "But he helped me so much just getting settled in with football telling me where to go and stuff like that. He was actually one of the people I talked to when I came here on my overnight visits. He's a friendly, outgoing guy who shows his emotion and I like that and appreciate how he helped me."

Taul-Williams will compete next in the Steemer Showcase in Springfield, Ohio, Saturday and then the Centre Invite Feb. 13-14 in Danville. The SAA Indoor Championships will be Feb. 27-28 at Centre College.