Minot High junior Chinagozi Ugobi competes in the triple jump event during the Minot Invite on Friday, May 8, at Duane Carlson Stadium. Ugobi’s personal record in the event is 35 feet, 10 inches. She qualified for state in both the triple jump and the long jump and also competes as part of the 4x100 and 4x200 relays teams. Mike Kraft/MDN

Sometimes, the best way to think about something is to simply not think about it at all.

That’s the strategy Minot High junior track & field athlete Chinagozi Ugobi has implemented this year when it comes to envisioning her jumps as she makes her way down the runway.

That simplistic approach has paid off, as she set new personal bests in both the long jump and triple jump earlier this season and qualified for the state meet for the second consecutive season. Ugobi has three top-three finishes in both events this year, including her first victory in the triple jump, where she leapt a personal-best distance of 35 feet, 10 inches at the Mandan Kiwanis Invite on April 16.

“A good jumper is one that can not think,” Ugobi said. “I know it sounds weird, but sometimes the things I used to struggle with in the past was overthinking and thinking that I have to do this and that. But thinking of it as simple as you can think of it instead of thinking super specifically. Just run and jump and trust yourself. You’ve been there before in practice and put in time and the work in practice and with God’s help, you can go far.”

Ugobi is in her third year with the track & field team and joined on a whim. She used to compete in both gymnastics and soccer, where her dad used to coach her. When she moved away from those two sports, she was looking for a new interest. With her friends constantly commenting about how fast she is, she opted to give track & field a try.

Along with the long jump and triple jump, Ugobi is also a member of both the 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams. With the 4×100 relay team, she has served as the opening leg with three combinations of teammates and is the closer when grouped with Selia Stevick, Kadyn Braun and Eve Knutson. She has raced in four 4×100 relays this season, winning twice. Ugobi has been the first, third and final legs of the 4×200 relay teams. Her fastest time was 1:48.67 as the final leg on a team with Harper Broderick, Paige Conklin and Marlie Stamps.

“It’s the thrill of it,” Ugobi said. “I really like doing the long and triple jumps because I like to challenge myself to see how much better I can do the next time. I just like all of it. Being able to do the relays and do the handoff. Starting relays is my favorite thing. I enjoy it overall.”

Ugobi’s freshman campaign was her first taste with the sport and proved to be a year of learning. She competed in six events in the long jump, recording a personal best at the time of 15 feet, 1 inch at the Minot Fair Weather Meet. She had three top-10 finishes, but didn’t qualify for state or WDA. Ugobi participated in the triple jump three times. Her only mark of 28 feet, 9.5 inches qualified her for the WDA meet, where she leapt a personal best 30 feet, 6 inches to finish 28th.

In her sophomore season, Ugobi saw marked improvement from literally the first jump. In the first meet of the season at the WIlliston Early Bird Invite, Ugobi leapt 17 feet in the long jump, which wound up being her best mark of the year. It also qualified her for her first state meet. She would go on to qualify for state in the triple jump at the Minot Invite when she jumped 35 feet, 11.5 inches.

“I didn’t start off even anywhere close to qualifying with my jumps and then my jumps that I qualified were really good and I was really surprised,” Ugobi said. “Qualifying for the first time was really exciting for me.”

Ugobi finished fifth at the WDA Meet in the long jump with a distance of 16 feet, 8 inches. She was the top finisher among underclassmen. Two of the top four long jumpers from last year’s meet graduated that year. Defending champion Alexis Heinle of Bismarck Century and Williston’s Micah Fleck are both seniors this season.

Minot High head coach Disa Julius said that a good jumper possesses two things, and Ugobi has both.

“Speed and power,” Julius said. “She’s got a lot of speed and power in every phase. She’s very powerful. She’s extremely springy and a natural gift she genetically has and it’s fun to watch. “She’s just so naturally talented that with a little more coaching and a little more critiquing, she’s really going to show something off at WDA and state.”

Along with her top triple jump of 35 feet, 10 inches, Ugboi enters the WDA Meet with a top long jump of 17 feet, 3.5 inches. She credits her improvement on the leadup to the jump for the increase in her distance.

“My runway work has improved,” Ugobi said. “That’s what helps a good long jump is how good you are on the runway because if it’s inconsistent on the runway, you’re jumps aren’t going to be consistent, so what I’m learning to perfect is my runway with how many steps I’m taking before takeoff and keeping my eyes up and focusing on the runway and knowing the jump will take care of itself because of that.”

Next up for Ugobi and the rest of the Majettes is the WDA Meet at the Biesiot Activities Center in Dickinson on Saturday, May 16. Five days later, the team will be in Bismarck for the three-day State Meet at the MDU Resources Community Bowl beginning on Thursday, May 21.

Having a strong showing in both postseason events would mean a lot to the junior jumper, who never grew up thinking she’d be a track & field athlete in high school.

“It would mean so much to me,” Ugobi said. “Track was never my first sport and just to see how far it’s taken me so far, I didn’t think I’d being doing track, but now that I’m doing it, I want to see how far it takes me and it would mean so much to me and I know it would make my parents proud and it would make me really proud, too. I’ve been putting in a lot of work.”

Julius just wants Ugboi to continue her approach of not thinking too hard when getting ready to jump.

“I want her to let go and have fun,” Julius said. “That’s a big expectation of mine for her. She gets a little in a head and I think she can let go and let her body do what it’s meant to do and she’ll be just fine.”