Pittsburg State sophomore Cordell Tinch has decided to forego the remainder of his NCAA eligibility and turn pro. The announcement was made on Thursday morning by Doyle Management Group.

Here’s what you need to know:

– Tinch ran the fastest all-conditions 110m hurdles performance with a 12.87s (6.0m/s wind) at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 27.

– He followed it up by running a wind-legal 12.96s (1.3 m/s wind) win at the Trackwired Arkansas Grand Prix on June 23, which is the fastest time in the world this year.

– Tinch moved to No. 11 on the U.S. all-time list and No. 19 on the world all-time list.

– Tinch also owns a wind-aided personal best of 8.24m for the long jump, which is the second-farthest all-conditions mark in NCAA DII history, when he won the MIAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

– His wind-legal PB is 8.16m from the NCAA Division II Championships. He also won the high jump with a 2.18m personal best.

– Tinch is the first male athlete in NCAA Division II history to win three individual titles at the same NCAA Outdoor Championship.

– Tinch previously competed at Kansas and won the 2019 Big 12 Conference title in the 110m hurdles. He left during the COVID-19 pandemic break in 2020 and had a brief stint at Coffeyville Community College before transferring to Pittsburg State. He returned to track in January 2023.

– He will make his professional debut at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships next week, where he will compete in the 110m hurdles and long jump.

CITIUS MAG spoke to him about his decision to turn pro on Thursday morning.

Congrats on the decision to turn pro. What went into the decision and how long have you been thinking about it?

“Honestly, I started thinking about it after our conference meet, when I went 12.97. Yes, it was wind-aided but knowing that I had the ability to do something special in the sport. It didn’t feel windy. We were confused the entire day that it was a 3.0 m/s reading. We knew there was a chance to do something special. In practice, a switch turned after that while preparing for nationals. It just reassured as we got closer to the postseason. Even going to Atlanta (for the Atlanta Open on June 17) and competing in that realm with actual professional athletes as a college student just seemed right. When you go run the fastest time in the world, it kind of makes the decision a lot easier.”

What are your expectations for USAs?

“As of right now, I’ve signed with Doyle Management Group. Things haven’t changed. I’m still going to be training here in Kansas for now. Obviously, that’s subject to change. I believe I will be here and still training as if everything is normal. I’ll just be in the pro realm and making the most of what my legs are doing for me right now.

Did getting snubbed for The Bowerman Award accelerate the decision to turn pro? You could’ve stayed and made a stronger case for yourself.

“It didn’t change how I felt about anything. I knew at the beginning of the year I was fighting an uphill battle. I brought it up during indoor season after I went 7.50 (for the 60m hurdles on Feb. 11) and I had questioned, ‘Has anyone from D2 ever been on the list?’ It’s tough. I was like, ‘I will count the season as a win, if we can somehow manage to get on it.’

[Note: Tinch ended up on the pre-NCAA Outdoor Championships watch list for The Bowerman on June 7. He was not named a finalist.]

Getting on it was a bigger deal to me than most people. If they’re on it, they want to be a finalist. Obviously, I’d want that too but the fact that I was able to be recognized for even the week I was on was more than enough for me.”

What have you learned and taken away from the spotlight being put on you so quickly? How have you processed it?

“The biggest thing is following your faith and staying the course of whatever life throws at you. I’ve learned that taking three years off from the sport isn’t a conventional route at all. Take things as lessons. Don’t try to take anything that deters you from success as the world is out to get you. Take those things as lessons and stepping stones so that when you finally achieve what you always wanted, it makes it so much better. You can look back and say, ‘Hey whatever it was that happened two years ago that I was kicking myself about, that only made me stronger for this moment now.’”

How are you going to feel getting into the blocks alongside the likes of Devon Allen, Daniel Roberts or Grant Holloway?

“I’m excited. I’m legitimately excited. It’s kind of a weird feeling because I’ve always been super competitive and carried a chip on my shoulder even when I don’t need to. You always have to feel like how Michael Jordan did when he created fake beef to motivate himself. I’ve always been that way. To get in the blocks with a special group of guys that the United States has as hurdlers and to have the respect of those guys is a big deal for me. I don’t want to fan out too much. I want to prove to myself that I belong around a special group of guys like them.”