Over 1,500 miles from home, Malaika Cunningham is making her mark for Villanova track

The transition to college is challenging for many young adults.

But add in the rigors of life as a Division I athlete. And home, St. Andrew, Jamaica, is more than 1,500 miles away. Now, you might get an idea of how tough the transition looked for Villanova freshman high jumper Malaika Cunningham.

“It’s definitely a very big adjustment,” Cunningham said. “You know, there’s a lot of cultural and climate differences between here and home.”

But luckily for Cunningham, she found some comforts of home through people she’s met at Villanova, including teammate Roschell Clayton.

“I think having people on the team like Roschell also made that transition a lot easier because you can relate to them quite well,” Cunningham said.

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Clayton is a senior high jumper from Montego Bay, Jamaica, which is just over 104 miles from Cunningham’s hometown. She’s been a mentor to Cunningham during her first collegiate season at Villanova.

“She’s already made the transition before, so she knows some of the mistakes to look out for and just [having] that cultural similarity definitely helps a lot,” Cunningham said. “We get on really well. She picked me up from the airport when I got here. She’s one of the first people I ever met [in college].”

But Clayton has supported Cunningham in far more than her move to the States. The high jumpers also have pushed each other to new heights in the 2023-24 season.

“Always having people that are one step ahead definitely pushes you to be better,” Cunningham said. “Especially when they’re willing to lend a hand to help you take the right steps to get where you need to be.”

During the indoor season, Cunningham recorded a personal-best mark of 1.77 meters in the high jump, good for sixth in Villanova history. She also finished fifth in the event at the Big East championships.

As for the level Cunningham wants to reach? All she has to do is look at Clayton.

Clayton is Villanova’s record holder in the high jump, with a mark of 1.88 meters that she recorded the same February day as Cunningham’s personal best. She also is a two-time Big East champion, three-time All-Big East pick, and two-time All American in the high jump and is one of three field athletes in Wildcats history to post a top-eight finish at the NCAA championships.

“She holds the line well of being our friend, but also being like, ‘No, I don’t think you should do that. I think you should take this approach instead.’” Cunningham said. “She’s had so much success this year, and it definitely just helps push [me] more.”

But it’s not just Clayton who Cunningham has to look up to. She also can look up to one of the most decorated high jumpers in Villanova history — her brother.

Malik Cunningham (class of 2023), ended his collegiate career as a two-time All-American in the triple jump, a four-time Big East triple jump champion, and a six-time All-Big East performer. Cunningham ended his career ranked second in school history in the triple jump and was one of only two Villanova All-Americans in the event. He also is one of two athletes in school history to surpass 16 meters in the triple jump with a career-best mark of 16.17.

“A big part of the reason why I came here is my brother,” Cunningham said. “My brother’s good reviews coupled with knowing the jumps coach, Anthony [Williams], definitely helped influence my decision to come here … I wanted to come somewhere that I would feel comfortable and cozy, and [Villanova was that].”

But while her brother was an influence in her becoming a Wildcat and Clayton is the one pushing her on the track, Villanova women’s track coach Gina Procaccio would argue that Cunningham is the secret to her own success.

“She came in, got on board, and just believed in this system,” Procaccio said. “The key to being successful in any program is to buy in … and Malaika was a kid who just came in and got on board with what the coach prescribed, and so she found success pretty early on.”

Cunningham matched her personal best from the indoor season with a successful clearance at 1.77 meters earlier this month. She’s tied for 18th among Division I high jumpers in the East region and ranks second in the Big East behind Clayton.

“When we recruited her, we [were] looking at her as somebody at that level to make an immediate impact,” Procaccio said. “She’s done that.”

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Now Cunningham will have the chance to continue to prove her impact as she heads into her second Penn Relays, her first time competing at the collegiate level.

“This year, I have an idea of what the meet is like, and I’m better climatized in terms of the weather and the competitive scene up here,” Cunningham said. “It was definitely a big shift last year, but this year, I definitely feel a lot more prepared to go out and compete.”

The college women’s high jump is set to begin at 4 p.m. Friday, and Cunningham and Clayton will represent the Wildcats.

“Having a competitive atmosphere between you and your teammates will help get the best results,” Cunningham said. “But I know the Big 5 schools have a very big history at [the] Penn Relays, so I want to add to the history of success that [Villanova] has had there.”