Burlington's D'Anna Cotton wins national triple jump title in Oregon
Burlington’s D’Anna Cotton capped her Cummings career with a national triple jump title in Eugene, then kept alive a path to the World U20 meet in Oregon.
Burlington’s D’Anna Cotton won the women’s triple jump at the USA Track & Field under-20 national championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, clearing 43 feet, 1 inch. Her 13.13-meter jump was the best of the competition and put her ahead of runner-up Shi’eana Hall of the University of Houston and third-place finisher Samantha Ennin of Stanford. Cotton had just graduated from Cummings earlier this month.
The title adds another line to a high school resume already heavy with championships. Cotton was a 24-time North Carolina state champion, and in her final season she went undefeated in the 300-meter hurdles, 100 hurdles, long jump and triple jump. Cummings coach Donnie Davis said her results were producing “big numbers,” and Cotton helped lead the Cavaliers to four team state championships and two runner-up finishes in indoor and outdoor track combined.
Cotton also finished seventh in the long jump at 19-6, showing the kind of range that made her one of the state’s most decorated jumpers. The national meet carried more than one trophy, too. USA Track & Field used the 2026 U20 Outdoor Championships as the selection event for the World Athletics U20 Championships, so Cotton’s victory helped position her for the next round of competition on an international stage. South Carolina athletics said Cotton was one of four Gamecocks who secured spots on Team USA ahead of the world meet, scheduled for Aug. 5-9 in Oregon.
Cotton had already locked in her next stop before she arrived in Eugene. NC Milesplit listed her signing with the University of South Carolina on Dec. 9, 2025, and South Carolina identified her as an incoming freshman after the win. For Burlington and Alamance County, the result tied together a Cummings track legacy, a homegrown champion and a future at one of the country’s major Division I programs.
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