{"id":165259,"date":"2026-05-01T10:20:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T14:20:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=165259"},"modified":"2026-05-01T10:20:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T14:20:58","slug":"dragging-mats-and-shaping-ncaa-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2026\/05\/01\/dragging-mats-and-shaping-ncaa-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Dragging mats and shaping NCAA policy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Jahi<\/a>

Jahi McDonald<\/span><\/span> represents Wright State, the Horizon League and Division I athletes on the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee<\/span><\/span>.<\/p><\/div>\n

On some days, Jahi McDonald helps decide the future of college athletics. On others, he rolls out the mats for a safe spot to land.<\/p>\n

Both are true. Neither surprises him.<\/p>\n

Inside the Wright State University Nutter Center, there is no permanent setup for high jump. So, McDonald and his teammates assemble it themselves \u2014 strapping the mats into place to create a landing area piece by piece. When practice ends, they take it all apart.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to get it out the mud,\u201d McDonald said.<\/p>\n

That idea \u2014 earning everything, building from scratch \u2014 has come to define his experience. It also explains how a junior marketing major from Huber Heights ended up in rooms where the future of college athletics is being shaped.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt a place like this, if you want to make an impact, people notice,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019ll put you in positions to grow.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

McDonald serves as president of Wright State\u2019s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and represents the Horizon League at the national level. He was also appointed to the NCAA track and field oversight committee, where he sits alongside coaches, administrators and former Olympians.<\/p>\n

In those rooms, his voice carries the same weight as representatives from the country\u2019s largest programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cool to represent all Division I athletes,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s even bigger to represent Wright State in those spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

The work isn\u2019t abstract. As college athletics undergoes rapid change \u2014 from name, image and likeness policies to questions around revenue sharing and eligibility \u2014 McDonald is part of the conversations shaping what comes next.<\/p>\n

But he\u2019s quick to point out that even those inside the system are still figuring it out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an ever-changing landscape,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of the questions people have \u2014 we have those same questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

That perspective is grounded in his own path.<\/p>\n

McDonald didn\u2019t begin running track seriously until his junior year of high school, and he wasn\u2019t a high-profile recruit. When he arrived at Wright State, the men\u2019s track and field program itself was still new.<\/p>\n

\"McDonald<\/a>

McDonald making a jump at the Steemer Showcase at Wittenburg University. (Photo by Callista Hess.)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI was the first men\u2019s jumper recruited here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s watched the program grow from a handful of athletes into a full team \u2014 one that includes conference contenders and emerging talent who he now mentors.<\/p>\n

That growth mirrors his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to contribute,\u201d he said. \u201cScore for the team. Be someone others can rely on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Off the track, that mindset shows up in his leadership. Through SAAC, McDonald works as a liaison between student-athletes and administrators, helps organize initiatives and contributes to discussions that affect student-athletes nationwide.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s experience that goes beyond athletics.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re working with people, solving problems, communicating,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s real-world experience. It\u2019s not just something that looks good \u2014 it is good.\u201d<\/p>\n

The support system around him has made that possible. He points to mentors like assistant coach Jeff Ross, who volunteers his time to help build the young program, and staff members who recognized McDonald\u2019s potential early and encouraged him to pursue leadership opportunities at the national level.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt a place like this, if you want to make an impact, people notice,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019ll put you in positions to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"McDonald<\/a>

Jahi McDonald received an award for earning the Jo Ann Self Memorial Scholarship in marketing. (Photo by Erin Pence.)<\/p><\/div>\n

That sense of opportunity is part of how McDonald defines Wright State itself: \u201cGrowth and community. That\u2019s what it feels like here.\u201d<\/p>\n

That perspective \u2014 intentional and forward-looking \u2014 carries into everything he does, whether he\u2019s preparing for competition, speaking in NCAA meetings or striving for his next 4.0 semester, an accomplishment he\u2019s as proud of as setting a new personal best.<\/p>\n

Because no matter how far opportunities take him, the foundation stays the same.<\/p>\n

The work is waiting. The mats still need to be assembled. And that next jump will be earned.<\/p>\n

Explore more:<\/strong><\/p>\n