For Tenosh Landry, winning once was proof she belonged. Winning again proved something deeper that she could trust herself, her training, and the process it takes to stay on top.
The biology pre-health sophomore has quickly established herself as one of the standout competitors in her program, turning hard work and resilience into back-to-back success in the high jump.
“It means a lot,” Landry said. “I work so hard, and sometimes I get in my head. So to see that it’s actually paying off just shows that the work I’m doing actually means something.”
Her path to a repeat title wasn’t without challenges. Just a week before her latest championship performance, Landry found herself struggling mentally during practice.
“A week before, my coach and I hit a wall,” she said. “And it showed in my attitude.”
Instead of letting that moment define her, Landry leaned into the guidance around her. Trusting her coach and the preparation she had put in became the turning point that led to another championship performance.
“After I won, my coach was like, ‘See, when you just listen to me, it works,’” Landry said. “And I was like, yeah.”
While her first championship marked a breakthrough, the second carried a different kind of satisfaction.
“The first one was like the base,” she said. “Now it just keeps getting greater each time.”
A big part of that growth has come from refining her technique. Early in her career, Landry often relied on instinct, training largely on her own without fully understanding the details that could elevate her performance.
“Last year I was mainly doing it on my own, so I didn’t really know what I was doing wrong,” she said. “Now my coach is helping me fix the small things, and that’s helping me jump higher.”
In an event where precision matters, those adjustments have made a noticeable difference.
Still, Landry emphasizes that high jump is as much a mental challenge as it is physical.
“The smallest thing can mess you up,” she said. “Once you get in your head, it’s like you can’t jump.”
To manage pressure in competition, she relies on a personal routine designed to calm her nerves and center her focus.
“I jitter a bit, move side to side, making small movements to calm myself down,” she said. “I take a deep breath, rock back and forth, and then I just go.”
In those final moments before takeoff, her mindset is simple: trust.
“I just tell myself it’s going to work out,” she said.
That belief didn’t come easily. Between her first and second titles, Landry learned the importance of confidence, especially in a sport where doubt can be the biggest obstacle.
“I had to believe in myself,” she said. “It gets hard, because high jump is so mental. But I’ve done it before. I just have to trust that I can do it.”
Now, with another championship behind her, Landry is focused on what comes next. Her goals extend beyond conference success, with her sights set on competing at the national level.
“I want to go to nationals and take home a medal,” she said. “Conference was one thing, but now we have to go bigger.”
As it stands, Landry is one of a small group of athletes from her team preparing for that stage, and currently the only woman among them.
“It’s just five of us right now,” she said. “I’m the only girl, but I’ll hold it down.”
Her ambitions don’t stop there. Along with competing nationally, Landry is determined to continue raising the bar literally and figuratively.
“I want to get the medal, break the record again, and make everyone proud,” she said.
Off the track, the lessons she’s learned through high jump have shaped her into a more focused and disciplined individual. Balancing athletics with a demanding academic path, she has developed a mindset rooted in commitment and self belief.
“It’s taught me to stay focused and stay committed,” she said. “I can do anything I put my mind to, but I have to believe in myself.”
That message is one she hopes younger athletes will carry with them as they begin their own journeys.
“If you want something, you have to work for it,” Landry said. “You can’t just expect it to come. You have to believe in yourself and put in the work.”
As for the legacy she hopes to leave, Landry’s vision is both simple and powerful.
“I want to be an inspiration,” she said. “I want to set a record that nobody can beat. I want people to look at it and say they have to jump higher than me.”
Behind her success, Landry is quick to recognize the support system that has helped her along the way.
“My teammates, my coachesand my family are my biggest supporters,” she said. “They believe in me even when I don’t believe in myself.”
That support was especially meaningful during her championship performance, where the presence of her team helped push her forward.
“At the conference, everyone was there,” she said. “I love having them there. It helps me the most.”
Even when they aren’t physically present, their encouragement remains a constant source of motivation.
For Landry, success isn’t just about clearing the next height, it’s about continuing to grow, trust the process, and rise above the doubts that once held her back.
And with another championship behind her and bigger goals ahead, she’s proving that she’s capable of doing exactly that.
