Experience is supposed to count for something. Usually success takes time, especially when beginning a new level of competition. That’s just how things work.

Illinois freshman high jumper Kandie Bloch-Jones must have missed that memo.

This past weekend at her first ever Big Ten Indoor Championships, Bloch-Jones won the high jump with a mark of 5 feet 10 inches.  

This wasn’t a surprise, though.

Bloch-Jones was supposed to win. She has been consistent all year and held the top mark in conference since Feb. 14 at the Tyson Invitational when she jumped 5 feet 11 1/2 inches. So when she added a conference title to what was already an impressive indoor campaign, Bloch-Jones simply validated what she had been doing all year.

Freshman Kandie Bloch-Jones, conference champion.

It might sound strange to those around the Big Ten because she’s a newcomer, but certainly not to her.

“It doesn’t sound weird at all,” Bloch-Jones said. “I like it, I really like it. I think it sounds fine.”

Those close to Bloch-Jones were not stunned by her success.

“Obviously I could not have predicted a conference title but I’m not completely shocked either,” women’s track and field coach Ron Garner said. “She has managed herself well all year and I have learned to never put a cap on someone’s talent. I wasn’t going to tell her how good she can or was supposed to be.”

This positive support and reinforcement from the coaching staff and those around her helped Bloch-Jones gain the confidence to succeed. Bloch-Jones said she did not see these accomplishments coming this fast. She was hoping to be successful but was unsure of what to expect.

This nervousness and youth was exhibited this past weekend at Big Tens when Bloch-Jones got off to a rocky start. However, as champions do, she was able to settle down, work through her nerves and secure a title. It was a performance in which she showed poise well beyond her years.

“I told Coach (Garner) my legs just felt so heavy, and I didn’t know what was wrong, but he told me to just keep jumping and things would fall into place, and so they did,” she said.

Bloch-Jones is determined to make sure that she doesn’t become complacent. She may have won Big Tens, but there’s always more to do. A few of her goals are to eclipse six feet on her jump and to perform well at NCAA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., in less than two weeks. Bloch-Jones knows she will likely be seeded at the back of the pack at NCAAs and still has much to prove.

“Going into nationals, I’m probably going to be towards the bottom of the list, so I want to be able to move up and maybe clear six foot,” Bloch-Jones said.

Bloch-Jones knows she still has room for improvement and is focused on elevating her skills to the next level. Whether it’s refining her approach or making sure to keep her back legs up after her takeoff, Bloch-Jones is determined not to become a prisoner of the moment and continues to hunger for more. Similar to her mindset on the playing field, she just wants to keep raising the bar.

“Hopefully this continues and I don’t just stay at this point,” Bloch-Jones said. “I need to keep improving, I want to go up from here.”

Mubarak can be reached at [email protected] and @justmubar.