Coppin State Legend Christina Epps Selected for 2027 MEAC Hall of Fame
One of the greatest athletes in Coppin State history is adding another major honor to an already remarkable resume.
Former Eagles track and field star and Olympian Christina Epps has been selected for induction into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame as part of the 2027 class. The MEAC will formally enshrine Epps during the week of the 2027 MEAC Basketball Tournament in Norfolk, Virginia.
Epps will enter the Hall of Fame alongside Cy Alexander of South Carolina State, Rod Broadway of North Carolina A&T, Reggie Holmes of Morgan State and William Judson of South Carolina State. The induction ceremony is scheduled for March 11, 2027, at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott Hotel.
For Coppin State, Epps’ selection is another recognition of a career that reached from the MEAC championships all the way to the Olympic Games.
One of the MEAC’s Greatest Triple Jumpers
Epps established herself as one of the dominant triple jumpers in conference history during her time at Coppin State.
She won six MEAC championships and earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-America honors twice. Epps swept the MEAC indoor and outdoor triple jump championships in both 2011 and 2014. During her final collegiate season in 2014, she finished among the top 16 nationally in both the indoor and outdoor triple jump.
Her 2014 indoor season was especially impressive.
Epps finished seventh in the triple jump at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, earning first-team All-America honors. She was the only MEAC female athlete to receive first-team All-America recognition following those championships.
She also collected three medals at the ECAC Championships during her Coppin State career, including the 2012 ECAC Indoor triple jump championship.
Epps Still Owns Coppin State and MEAC Records
More than a decade after the conclusion of her collegiate career, Epps’ name remains at the top of the Coppin State and MEAC record books.
She owns the school and conference indoor triple jump record at 43 feet, 2.5 inches and the outdoor record at 43 feet, 11.75 inches. Her personal-best triple jump eventually reached 14.18 meters, or 46 feet, 6.25 inches.
Her outdoor school record came during the 2014 NCAA East Preliminary Championships when she jumped 13.40 meters to finish third and advance to the NCAA Championships.
That senior season also included MEAC and ECAC championships indoors and outdoors, a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships and an appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
From Coppin State to the Olympics
Epps’ career did not end when she left Coppin State.
She went on to become an Olympian and one of the most internationally accomplished athletes ever produced by the university.
At the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, Epps finished second in the women’s triple jump with a then-career-best mark of 14.17 meters, earning a spot on Team USA for the Rio Olympics.
The accomplishment made her the first female Olympian in Coppin State history and the first Coppin State athlete to compete for the United States at the Olympics.
Epps then finished 15th overall in the women’s triple jump in Rio with an opening-round leap of 14.01 meters. She narrowly missed advancing to the 12-athlete final.
Her success also included winning the triple jump at the 2015 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships, competing at the Pan American Games and reaching the World Championships.
More Than a Track Star
Epps’ impact at Coppin State extended beyond the triple jump.
She was also a member of the Eagles volleyball program and held Coppin State’s single-match record for hitting percentage in a three-set match for 11 years. She finished her collegiate volleyball career ranked among the program’s top 10 in career blocks.
Epps later returned to the program as an assistant coach for two seasons from 2017 through 2018.
Her athletic accomplishments were matched by her work in the classroom and campus community.
Epps became Coppin State’s first female student-athlete to be named MEAC Woman of the Year in 2014 and later finished among the Top 30 finalists for NCAA Woman of the Year. She also served as Coppin State’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee president and was a team captain from 2012 through 2014.
Coppin State previously inducted Epps into its own Athletics Hall of Fame in 2025.
Continuing Her Career in College Athletics
Epps remained involved in collegiate athletics after her competitive career.
She currently serves as Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance and Diversity & Inclusion at Swarthmore College. She previously worked in athletics compliance at Coppin State and Delaware State.
Her move into administration adds another chapter to a career that has included success as an athlete, coach and college athletics professional.
MSB Take
Christina Epps’ MEAC Hall of Fame selection feels like one of those honors that was only a matter of time.
Few Coppin State athletes have reached the combination of conference, national and international success that Epps achieved.
Six MEAC championships, two All-America honors, multiple school and conference records and an Olympic appearance would be enough to make any collegiate career historic. Epps also competed in another sport, became the MEAC Woman of the Year and established herself as a leader away from competition.
Her 2016 Olympic appearance remains particularly significant for Coppin State. Representing the United States on one of the largest sporting stages in the world helped bring national attention to the Eagles and showed what an athlete from an HBCU program in Baltimore could accomplish.
Now Epps will officially take her place among the greatest athletes and coaches in MEAC history.
For Coppin State, the 2027 MEAC Hall of Fame ceremony will not simply recognize an outstanding triple jumper. It will celebrate one of the most accomplished student-athletes the university has ever produced.
