He's a two-time All-American, a two-time California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) champion, the school-record holder in the high jump, the 2018 United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Field Athlete of the Year, the 2019 CCAA Track and Field Athlete of the Year, and an Olympic Trials hopeful. Tyler Arroyo is also the Chico State Male Senior Athlete of the Year and our Wildcat of the Week.
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Arroyo's exceptional two-year run as a member of the Chico State men's track and field program concluded with a school-record leap of 2.20 meters (7-feet-2.5) at the NCAA Championships. It marked a fitting ending. Raising the bar was Arroyo's specialty as a Wildcat.
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The senior from San Diego finished third in the nation for the second straight season—the top finish by CCAA athlete each time. His leap matched the best in Division II this season. He was one of three to clear the bar at 2.20 meters at the NCAA Championships and finished third on a tiebreaker.
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Three weeks prior, Arroyo won his second straight CCAA title by breaking Imad Jamal's 35-year-old school record and the CCAA Championship meet record with a clearance of 2.19 meters.
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Arroyo graduated with his degree in economics in May. He was money in the bank nearly every time he competed, winning 14 times in 20 meets as a Wildcat.
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He is currently the 24th-ranked high jumper in the United States according to the official IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) rankings, which are used to help determine which athletes are invited to the Olympic Trials. His clearance of 2.20 meters is tied for 18th in the nation and 64th in the world in 2019.
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Whether he makes the Olympic Trials field or not, Arroyo has staked his claim as one of the top student-athletes ever to represent Chico State.
