AUSTIN --  Charity Griffith Of Ball State set a new personal best in the women's high jump to upset defending champion Lamar Distin of Texas A&M to claim her first title at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium.

Griffith got over 1.93m/6-4 to better her previous best clearance by an inch and a quarter. The junior denied Distin a repeat championship and a two-year sweep of the indoor and outdoor NCAA high jump titles.

"I've always had the drive to win an NCAA championship since my high school years, even though I was always such a mediocre athlete in high school," Griffith said. I've always told myself I was going to do it. So, finally happy that I can put it into action today."

Subscribe FloTrack For More NCAA Track and Field coverage

2023 NCAA Track & Field Championships Live Updates

IT'S OVER. SHE'S DONE IT. MEET YOUR 2023@NCAATrackField HIGH JUMP CHAMPION!@CharitySueGrif1 #ChirpChirp x #WeFly pic.twitter.com/4TowZewoXp

— BallStateTrack&XC (@BallStateTFXC) June 11, 2023

Distin, a senior from Jamaica, led Griffith by virtue of a first-bar clearance at 1.87m/6-1.5, a height Griffith needed two attempts to get over. But Griffith secured her championship at the next bar, clearing 1.90m/6-2.75 on her second try while Distin was unable to clear in her three chances.

Griffith said that focusing on the bars and not her competitors helped keep her channeled.

"I'm just out here having fun. I just want to do what I can do and not do it for myself," Griffith said. "Nothing that I do is going to be for myself, it's going to be for God. So, I'm just going to go out there and have fun and encourage others around me to do the best they can, as well."

Elena Kulichenko of Georgia, who finished third at 1.87m/6-1.5, missed her first two attempts at 1.90m/6-2.75 before strategically passing to the next height, but had a failed clearance in her final remaining jump.