The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Hall of Honor
- Induction:
- 2026
A four-time NCAA high jump champion and one of the most decorated field athletes in program history, Mark Boswell established himself as a force during his three seasons at Texas from 1998-2000. Born in Jamaica and raised in Toronto, Canada, from the age of 10, he arrived in Austin already recognized as one of the world's premier young jumpers after winning gold at the 1996 World Junior Championships. Boswell opened his collegiate career by finishing as the NCAA indoor runner-up in 1998 before embarking on one of the most successful stretches ever by a Longhorn. He swept the NCAA indoor and outdoor high jump titles in both 1999 and 2000, becoming a four-time national champion and earning five All-America honors during his career. Boswell also captured five Big 12 individual championships, winning the indoor title in 1998 before sweeping both the indoor and outdoor conference crowns in 1999 and 2000. While competing for Texas, Boswell established himself as one of the world’s best high jumpers. During the summer of 1999, he won the silver medal at the World Championships, adding to an already remarkable season that included NCAA indoor and outdoor titles and Big 12 indoor and outdoor crowns. His accomplishments during his collegiate career helped earn him recognition on the Big 12 Men's Track and Field 10th Anniversary Team, which celebrated the best of the conference’s first decade of existence. Boswell’s marks of 7-7.75 indoors and 7-8.50 outdoors remain among the best in program history. His outdoor clearance still stands atop the program record book, while he shares the indoor Texas record with Andra Mason. Following his collegiate career, Boswell continued his success on the international stage while representing Canada. A two-time Olympian, he placed sixth at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and seventh at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Boswell added a bronze medal at the 2003 World Championships and captured gold medals at the 1999 Pan American Games and the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games. Boswell claimed six Canadian national championships during his career and was inducted into the Canadian Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013. He also was inducted into the Penn Relays Wall of Fame in 2015, where he competed four times and won four titles — winning the collegiate division at Texas three times and one as a Canadian high schooler. He set both the collegiate (7.6.5) and high school (7-4.5) records at the Penn Relays. Boswell resides in Austin with his wife, Chantelle, and their six children, Jenae, Raeven, Markus, Trinity, Chanelle, and Shania. Markus is a sophomore linebacker on the Texas Football team, transferring this spring after a year at Akron.