Getting To Know Randall Cunningham

Senior Randall Cunningham begins his final season competing in the high jump. He ranks fourth in USC's outdoor all-time top 10 in the high jump with a jump of 7-4.50 (2.25m). He jumped a personal-best 7-5.25 (2.27m) at the 2017 MPSF Championships to win the event. As a sophomore, Cunningham won the NCAA high jump title by going perfect through his first five jumps and clearing the winning height of 7-4.50(2.25m). He became the 11^th Trojan to win the NCAA high jump title. He was second in the high jump at the Pac-12 Championships with a clearance of 7-1.75 and at the USC-UCLA Dual Meet by going over 7-0.50. He also helped USC's 4x100m relay reach the Pac-12 finals by running anchor in the prelims as the Trojans were running out of bodies. Last year, Cunningham finished third with a jump of 6-11.50 at the Pac-12 Championships. Read below to get to know more about the All-American high jumper:

Q: Being a senior, what has been your favorite part about being at USC?

RC: The experiences that I've had throughout the past, building up to this fourth year. That has been the highlight of my experience at SC.

Q: More specifically, what has been the best part about being on the USC Track & Field team?

RC: The competition and the level of intensity that we have to bring. Also, the level of excellence we have to bring to every practice. That gets us ready for whatever field you want to get into after track and field. Being around these great coaches and great athletes helps you to become a better person in general.

Q: What made you interested in attending USC and participating on the Track & Field team?

RC: I have always been a USC fan. My uncle attended USC and I always enjoyed USC football games. Once I received a scholarship and the opportunity presented itself to be a Trojan, that was something I knew I wanted to do.

Q: What has been the toughest part about being a student-athlete, and how do you balance that in your life?

RC: Managing school work and track and field. That was the biggest challenge coming into college from high school is time management, knowing what the spend your time on and knowing what not to spend your time on. Knowing that you have to give your best at practice every day and in the classroom every day.

Q: What about the USC Track & Field team, or USC in general, has allowed you to succeed athletically?'

RC: The coaches. They demand such a high level of intensity and excellence that you have to bring every day in the classroom, track, training room, and when you travel to track meets.

Q: How do you stay focused before you compete? Do you have any rituals before or during a big competition?

RC: I trust in the training that I've done, my coach, and the work that I've put in up to that point and just being confident in that.

Q: What are your thoughts about the previous season?

RC: Personally, it was a tough year because I was dealing with an injury. There were highlights in the year and there were downs in the year. It was a building year that I can use now to fuel the drive that I have from not making it last year coming off a National Championship win the previous year.

Q: This year, what are your goals for yourself, and for the team?

RC: For myself, I want to be able to score as many points as I can at each meet to help the team get victories, a PAC-12 Championship, and a National Championship. I want to win an MPSF indoor Conference Championship, indoor National Championship, and and get a contract.

Q: Why did you choose high jump?

RC: High jump chose me. Being from Vegas, there's no high jumpers. My dad got me started in track at a young age and from that point on it was something that I enjoyed and something I thought I could do for a long time.

Q: How is the training for the high jump different than if you were a runner on the team?

RC: Running you have to be much more in shape and you have to work on speed. With high jumping and field events, its more about technique and repetition. It's more strength based. You focus on the little aspects of the event.

Q: Who is your biggest inspiration and why?

RC: Dominic Smallwood. Knowing his background and how he got to USC inspires me every day to become a better person.

Q: How does it feel to have such great athletes in your family? Do you feel any pressure to live up to their expectations?

RC: I don't feel any pressure. It's great having those athletes in my family such as my dad, my mom, Vashti and my little sisters just because it's competition. We've always been competitive our whole lives so bringing that from when we were little to now is great to be able to compete and make each other better.

Q: What have you learned from being a student-athlete and how do you think it will help you after your sport?

RC: The biggest thing I've learned as a student-athlete is managing your time the right way. Taking care of your body and taking care of everything that needs to be done. You have to focus on the things that are going to help you make your craft better, and also make sure your grades are great. So, you try and focus on the right things.

Q: What separates USC from other schools?

RC: The culture, the tradition, the experience, and the coaches. Coming from high school to USC, it is known as one of the best colleges in the nation, so it speaks for itself.

Players Mentioned

Randall Cunningham

Dominic Smallwood