INA, Ill. – Rend Lake College All-American long jumper Michael Hartfield has decided to call the Midwest home for at least a couple more years. The native of South Windsor, Conn., picked today – National SigningDay – to ink a national letter of intent to Ohio State University.

Hartfield is a sophomore at RLC, where he became a three-time NJCAA All-American last year as a freshman in the long jump and triple jump. He will major in criminal justice and sociology on a full scholarship at OSU in the fall. He is the son of Tyrell Hartfield and Marsha McIntosh.

“They have great facilities, they’re sponsored by Nike and it’s a huge campus,” he said of OSU, which is the second largest public university campus in the U.S., behind Arizona State. “I didn’t find anything I didn’t like on my visit. The coaches, staff and athletes were all great. And it felt a lot like Connecticut. It felt like home.”

“Ohio State is getting a great athlete, a great person and a great student,” said RLC Coach Eric Alberter. “Anytime we can send a Michael Hartfield – a guy like that – to a Big Ten university is a big complement to our program and Ohio State’s program.”

Nothing against the Buckeyes, but as a senior All-American at Manchester High School, Hartfield dreamed of signing a scholarship to the University of Tennessee. The Volunteers were seriously recruiting him, but like many world-class athletes competing for community colleges across the country, he wasn’t able to qualify through the NCAA Eligibility Center. He said Tennessee recommended Rend Lake College where he found redemption with one of the top junior college track and field programs in the U.S.

“I have matured a lot here,” he said. “I’ve become much more independent, being this far from home. Rend Lake has been my chance to redeem myself.”

Hartfield has taken advantage of mandatory study time and services provided by the college’s Learning Enhancement Center. The tutoring service, in particular, has been valuable to his success, he said.

“Over the past semester or so – for the first time ever – I used a tutor and it has helped me a great deal. I told the coaches at Ohio State that I plan to use the tutors and services there too.”

Head Coach Robert Gary, along with Associate Head Coach Ed Beathea and Volunteer Assistant Coach Joe Green, has built a Big Ten contender in Ohio State men’s track and field. The team finished runner-up at the Big Ten Championship and 56th in the NCAA Championships last season. It hasn’t won a Big Ten title since 1923 and has never won a NCAA crown.

Hartfield can help with that. In the long jump – an event where OSU did not have a NCAA qualifier last season – Hartfield is undefeated in two indoor outings so far this season at RLC. At Carbondale, Ill., he jumped 7.55 meters and at the Gladstein Invitational in Bloomington, Ind., he took first with a jump of 7.31. He has already performed well enough to qualify for long jump at the NJCAA Indoor nationals – 7.08 is the requirement. Moreover, Hartfield’s NJCAA-qualifying jump of 7.55 is good enough to meet the NCAA provisional requirement of 7.50.

His goals include becoming a NJCAA champion this year, qualifying to compete in the NCAA championships next year and eventually competing at the World Championships, Olympics and signing a professional contract. One person he feels can help get him there is OSU Coach Green, a two-time bronze medalist in the Olympic triple jump.

“I’m really looking forward to working with him,” Hartfield said.

For all things athletic at RLC, visit the college online at www.rlc.edu/warriors.