Wingate, N.C----Wingate University senior high jumper Isaiah Kyle (Morristown, Tenn.) collapsed during a September 2016 workout. His heart stopped for 12 minutes before responders could coax it back to life.
 
"It's something where I woke up and I still wanted to get back on the track and achieve my goals no matter how many wins I had," Kyle says. "You never say 'let's go home and hang up the spikes.'
 
Doctors warned he might never be able to compete again, but Kyle was undeterred. After 36 hours in a medically-induced sleep and months of testing, Kyle returned to the sport he loves.

"There were times that I got discouraged, especially in the five months when I was trying to figure out what was wrong and when to get back on the track," Kyle says. "I was really getting too worried about it when it came time to determine whether or not the doctors would clear me."
 
In 2019, Kyle won the NCAA Division II Individual Indoor Track and Field national high jump championship in Pittsburg, Kansas. It is truly a comeback story of unheard of dimensions.
 
"It sets in day-by-day," Kyle says. "It still feels real early to me…as if the national championship was yesterday, honestly."
 
"Right in the moment, I thought I was going to have this sense of relief knowing that I finally did it after all the things that I've been through," Kyle says. "But it was more of 'I finally achieved my goal.' I was happy and I talked to my parents, fellow high jumper Vanisha (Wilshire) and Coach Ashley (Glover)."
 
Kyle's journey is surreal. He has accomplished much in his college career, but nothing has compared to the national championship he won his senior year. "These past three years haven't been as smooth as I hoped they would be," Kyle says.
 
Kyle readily admits the journey has made a big impact on his life.
 
"It's definitely made me more mature," Kyle says. "I don't take a lot of things for granted anymore and I think it's going to help me step out into the world and become a better person."
 
Isaiah Kyle is a seven-time All-American. He has made the ultimate comeback. Kyle already has defied doctors' expectations. But most importantly, he is now a national champion.

ISAIAH KYLE

Isaiah Kyle won the 2019 NCAA Division II national championship in the men's high jump with his leap of 2.18 meters in March. A seven-time high jump All-American, Kyle won the first NCAA national title in Wingate's track and field history. He is the second SAC student-athlete to win an indoor national championship.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
A comprehensive, independent and growing university, Wingate serves more than 3,600 students in North Carolina. Founded in 1896, the University offers 37 undergraduate majors as well as graduate and professional programs. Wingate is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences. Wingate blends in-class exploration with out-of-class application to deliver an uncommon and life-changing educational experience.
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past 12 years. Wingate is first in the 2000s among NCAA Division II and North Carolina's colleges and universities with 106 CoSIDA Academic All-America® selections. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 115 lifetime Academic All-America® honorees. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com. Current news and videos can be found at www.wingate.edu.

(Wingate senior athletic communications student assistant Brendan Shriver contributed this article.)