3x NCAA Track Champion McKenzie Long Signs Adidas Deal
Fresh off a historic NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship performance that earned her the famed "sprint triple" titles in the 100M, 200M and 4x100M relay, Ole Miss senior McKenzie Long is entering the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials by making major career news.
The 23-year-old announced Friday that she has officially turned pro and signed an endorsement deal with adidas. According to FloTrack, Long's wind-legal 21.83 (+1.0) in the 200M moved her up to No. 1 in the world rankings and No. 2 on the NCAA all-time list. She's currently the only woman during the 2024 season to run under 22 seconds.
Long shared her adidas news via an Instagram post with the iconic copy of "one trip for each title." She joins a roster of adidas athletes competing at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials this weekend that includes including six-time world champion Noah Lyles, Grant Holloway, Erriyon Knighton, Anna Hall and Aleia Hobbs, among others.
Long completed her college career at Ole Miss and North Carolina State with eight All-American honors. Earlier this week, she was named a semifinalist for The Bowerman Award - college track & field's Heisman Trophy – named after famed Oregon head coach, Bill Bowerman.
She returns to Oregon this weekend for the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials with her eyes set on a trip to Paris this Summer for the Olympics.
The country rallied around Long during the NCAA Championships after learning of her mother's death during this past season. Photographers and TV cameras caught a poignant moment of Long sitting along in the stands prior to competing, talking to her mother from above.
Off the track, Long was named the 2024 SEC Indoor Scholar-Athlete of the Year while working towards her second master's degree - in public health - after completing a master's in criminal justice at Ole Miss in 2023 and bachelor's in psychology and communications from NC State in 2022.
The 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials will air all weekend from Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on NBC and streaming via Peacock. Fans can follow Sports Illustrated for all their footwear news from the sports world and beyond.
Further Reading: Anthony Edwards' adidas sneakers are getting three Olympics-inspired colorways.
MICHAEL EHRLICH
Michael Ehrlich is a seasoned sports marketing executive with experience across the global sports brand, athlete representation, media and education sides of the business. The Founder and CEO of Playbook Marketing, Ehrlich consults with brands on all things NIL and athlete partnerships, advises student-athletes on their personal brand building endeavors and is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the University of Southern California where he teaches a course on athlete communications and marketing. As a writer, his previous bylines include Boardroom, Business of College Sports, DIME Magazine and UPROXX, among others. You can follow him across social media at @MichaelEhrlich and reach out via michael@playbook-marketing.com