PSU runner won’t be allowed to compete for a NCAA regional title

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - One of the most dominant steeplechase athletes on the West Coast runs for Portland State University, but he won’t get to compete for a NCAA regional title in Sacramento this weekend.

Jordan MacIntosh, originally from Thunder Bay, Ontario, had his sights set on competing in the NCAA and becoming an All- American. But now that opportunity has been taken away.

“To work for pretty much six years to try to achieve that goal, and to put myself in a position to finally do that and then it was taken away from me, not by my own hands by somebody else,” says MacIntosh.

SEE ALSO: Portland high school softball legend Debbie Engelstad retires after 37 years

The NCAA gave student athletes an additional year of eligibility, a year they lost during the pandemic which allowed the 24-year-old to have a sixth year of eligibility.

MacIntosh is ranked 8th in the NCAA West Region in the men’s steeplechase, a 3,000-meter race where runners jump five hurdles including a water pit. The NCAA says the men’s track and field program failed to comply with guidelines during the 2023 season. The rule states there must be a minimum of 14 athletes to compete in a minimum of eight meets over the indoor/outdoor season. In a waiver filed by PSU, states the team only competed in five meets. PSU appealed the decision twice and was denied both times.

“I was still holding onto a little bit of hope, but on Sunday, the appeal was officially denied,” says MacIntosh. “My mom tried to write an essay. She tried to like write a letter to the NCAA.”

MacIntosh says going to the NCAA is also an opportunity to network and hope for a job within the sport. He says he hopes to have a career in running but for now, he’ll be graduating this year with a master’s degree in Urban Studies.

“We’re kind of thought to have somewhat of a short memory and to just look forward to the next thing ahead,” says MacIntosh. “I definitely had a couple days where I was down and sad and mad but now that I’ve sort of processed that I’m trying to keep my keep my goals maybe some new goals.”

Copyright 2023 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved.