Miracle Ailes signs to continue her jumping career next year at Alabama
Miracle Ailes staked her claim as one of the top jumpers in Iowa history.
Now, the Keokuk native is ready to test her skills at the national level.
Ailes signed this past week to continue her track and field career at Alabama, one of the premier NCAA Division I programs in the nation, beginning with the 2023-24 season.
"I visited four schools. It was always about how I felt when I was there," said Ailes, a sophomore at Iowa Western Community College. "Alabama really cared about me when I was there. It was just different from the other schools. It was hard not to follow my old coach (former Iowa Western jumps coach Doug Marshall, who was recently hired as head coach at the University of North Texas) and Texas Tech. But it came down to how I felt on the visit and I just felt like Alabama was the best fit. I am excited to compete against the best jumpers in the country in the Southeastern Conference."
Ailes is the reigning NJCAA national indoor champion in the high jump and outdoor champion in the long jump. She was a two-time state champion and two-time Drake Relays champion in the high jump during her four years at Keokuk High School.
More:Miracle Ailes wins national championship in long jump at NJCAA Outdoor meet
Ailes helped Iowa Western win both the indoor and outdoor NJCAA national championships last season. She won the high jump indoors with a best of 5 feet, 9 inches and won the long jump outdoors with a best of 21-8 3/4.
Ailes will join an Alabama team in which Miguel Pate is the jumps coach.
"He is so wonderful. He asked me my goals and he is ready to help me achieve them.," Ailes said. "I'm excited for the opportunity. This will be my first time living out of state. I'm really excited, especially since today was the first snow day here. I will be nice to go somewhere warm."
More:Iowa state track: Keokuk's Miracle Ailes wears Class 3A high jump crown
Ailes, who plans to be a mortician, said she will major in business management at Alabama and do an internship in mortuary science.
In the meantime, Ailes is preparing for the upcoming indoor season, which is set to begin in early January.
"I will graduate here in the spring and then head to Alabama this summer to start training," Ailes said. "Everyone at Alabama just clicks. That will make it easy for me to adjust. I'm excited to get started."
Matt Levins is a sports reporter for the USA Today Network in Burlington, Iowa, who has covered local sports for 32 years at The Hawk Eye. Reach him at mlevins@thehawkeye.com.
This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Miracle Ailes commits to jump with Alabama track and field program
