Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Mayleah Jackson at Wednesday’s letter signing ceremony.

By Ray Hamill — One of the best multi-sport student-athletes in the H-DNL will continue to be a multi-sport athlete at the collegiate level.

On Wednesday afternoon, Arcata senior Mayleah Jackson signed her letter of intent to compete for College of the Redwoods in basketball and track and field.

And Jackson believes it’s a perfect fit for her.

“I chose to play at the College of the Redwoods because I know these coaches will push me to be a better athlete and a better person,” Jackson told a gathering of friends, family, teammates and coaches.

Jackson certainly left her mark in both sports at the high school level.

She is a two-time league champion in the pole vault and was an all-league selection on the basketball court after helping to lead the Tigers to a Big 5 championship as a senior.

And her new college coaches — Reed Elmore in track and Bree Northern in basketball — are looking forward to the opportunity of working with her at the next level.

“She is the hardest worker out there, she’s a great leader on and off the court, and we are just so excited that you decided to play for us and can’t wait to get you out there,” Northern said on Wednesday.

A finalist for this year’s Humboldt Sports Player of the Year, Jackson played a pivotal role for the Tigers on the basketball court after transferring from Del Norte before her junior year.

She quickly established herself as one of the most reliable guards in the Big 5 and was instrumental in the team’s march to a NorCal championship showdown against St. Bernard’s in 2024.

But it was her contributions off the court that really earned her the respect of her head coach Charlie Espinoza.

Submitted photo – Mayleah Jackson at last weekend’s NCS Meet of Champions.

“She immediately jumped in and infused our basketball program with a competitive spirit and set a new standard,” Espinoza said. “She raised the bar and we never looked back. She’s a natural communicator, she’s a unifier. Mayleah brings people together with ease.

“She’s every coaches dream … She’s reliable driven and a true leader on and off the court.”

Arcata track coach Davita McGoldrick echoed the sentiment.

“She is a fierce competitor, she’s kind, she’s caring, she has integrity,” McGoldrick told the gathering. “She just is willing to work at everything that she does … a great addition to our community.”

In addition to her achievements in the H-DNL, Jackson enjoyed three top-nine finishes in the pole vault in the North Coast Section Redwood Empire championships during her high school career.

She won this year’s league championship with a PR of 9’ 9”, which was almost three feet better than the field.

She says the coaches at CR were a big reason she opted to stay local.

“The coaching staff definitely was a big factor,” she said. “They were just really supportive and eager to get me out there. I really felt wanted by them.”

Jackson had planned on just playing basketball at the collegiate level, but decided to try both sports after a big spring in track and field.

“I was originally just thinking of doing basketball, just because it was at the collegiate level so it was already going to be a lot,” she said. “But this last year I was definitely more pivotal in track, so I was like I could far with this.”

Jackson, who also competed in the sprints and triple jump, really took off in the pole vault in her senior season, adding nine inches to her previous PR in the event.

And the difference this year?

“I just think I was kind of like doing all my events like it was my last, because it was my last,” she said with a chuckle.

The senior standout thanked her family, teammates and coaches for helping her get to where she is and is looking forward to the next chapter in her athletic and academic career.

As for what she’ll miss the most from her time at Arcata High?

“Definitely the community and the coaches,” she said. “Just because I’ve built a relationship with everybody. But I’m sure I can do that same thing at College of the Redwoods.”

Jackson says she would be open to the idea of competing at a four-year school after her time at CR, although she admits it would likely only be in basketball.

“I don’t know if I would do both, but I definitely will still look to complete,” she said. “Probably basketball, just because I’ve done it longer. But I definitely love pole vault.”

She wants to major in biology and pursue a career in medicine.