MUNCIE, Ind. – Senior Jehvania Whyte (Kingston, Jamaica/Vere Technical) won her second consecutive conference title in the triple jump as the Northern Illinois University women's track and field team earned a fifth-place finish at the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships. 

"Fifth is a very reasonable place for us," said NIU Director of Track and Field Connie Teaberry. "We always see the things we could have done, and we think we could have gotten as high as third, but everything doesn't happen perfectly. We are extremely proud of the girls that competed today. We had some great things happen and we had some places that faltered, but being fifth, being in the upper-half, makes us optimistic for next year. We bring everybody back next year and add more firepower, so this was very exciting for us."

The defending champion in the triple jump, as well as the reigning indoor triple jump champion, Whyte opened the competition today with a mark of 12.23m on her first jump, taking the lead right away in the competition. On her fifth jump, Whyte measured a mark of 12.42m that would prove to be the best leap of the day. Freshman Diamond Riley (St. Louis, Mo./Ritenour) also scored for the Huskies, taking seventh with a mark of 11.86m. 

"Jehvania is a gamer, said Teaberry. "Unfortunately, there wasn't a big jump for her today, but she is already in the (NCAA) first round. There was a strong headwind today so to get out here, compete and to get those 10 points, that's what it's all about. At MAC, it's not about the time or the distance, it's about the places and putting those points on the board and that's what she did, and we look forward to seeing what she does at the next round."

Whyte joins fellow Huskie All-American Hope Schmelzle (3,000-meter steeplechase, 2016-17) as the only two NIU athletes to win an event at the MAC Outdoor Championships in back-to-back seasons. 

In the 400-meter hurdles, junior NeShay Curtis (St. Louis, Mo./McCluer South Berkeley) ran a PR time of 58.78 seconds to take second-place behind Western Michigan's Erin Dowd (58.19). Senior Ericka Hibser (Lewistown, Ill./Lewistown) claimed a fifth-place finish in the 5,000 meters with a time of 16:54.99 while sophomore Mackenzie Callahan grabbed fifth in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:30.92. 

"We really had some athletes go above and beyond in their performances," said Teaberry. "NeShay Curtis, her PR was 60.5-something and to drop down to 58.78 and inch her way into the first round of NCAAs and get second here was something to see. Ericka Hibser ran the 5K two days after running the 10K and gutted it out to get fourth, points we weren't sure if we would get or not. 

"Mackenzie Callahan came back after scoring yesterday in the steeplechase and got fifth today in the 1500, doing what she needed to do for the team. We had a team meeting that night about stepping up for the team and those three girls really got it done."

Also earning individual points for the Huskies on Saturday was junior Remy Amarteifio (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) who took third in the 100-meter hurdles, crossing the line in 13.60 seconds. That race was one of four on the day for Amarteifio as she also competed in the 100-meter final, the 4x100-meter relay and the 4x400-meter relay. 

"One of the things that our staff tries to do is make sure that we don't pad the team with too many athletes, so we can't give them the attention that they need," said Teaberry. "But in turn, that means that you must have athletes that can do more than one event, so Remy was an athlete that we had to ask to go to the well four times today, the 4x1, the 100, the 100 hurdles and the 4x4. She had a full day, never complained and that's what being a warrior is about, what being an athlete that is about the team is about."

In the 4x100-meter relay, Amarteifio anchored the quartet that also included freshman Jazmyn Smith (Pinecrest, Fla./Gulliver Prep), Britney Hew (Hanover, Jamaica/Holmwood Tech) and Kaitlyn Lewis (Liberty, Mo./Liberty) that finished seventh in 46.78. 

Amarteifio ran the second leg of the 4x400-meter relay, the final event of the day. Lewis ran the opening leg, junior Grace Harris (Dousman, Wis.) ran the third leg and Curtis ran the anchor, chasing down Eastern Michigan in the final 100 meters to take fourth in 3:44.01, ensuring fifth-place in the team standings by one point over Miami. 

NIU will return to action when it travels to Sacramento, Calif., for the NCAA West Region Preliminary Round, May 23-25. 

100-Meter Dash
10. Remy Amarteifio, 12.04

400-Meter Dash
10. Kaitlyn Lewis, 55.81

1,500-Meter Run
5. Mackenzie Callahan, 4:30.92

5,000-Meter Run
4. Ericka Hibser, 16:54.99
12. Vivian Overbeck, 17:25.69

100-Meter Hurdles
3. Remy Amarteifio, 13.60

400-Meter Hurdles
2. NeShay Curtis, 58.78

4x100-Meter Relay
7. Smith, Hew, Lewis, Amarteifio, 46.78

4x400-Meter Relay
4. Lewis, Amarteifio, Harris, Curtis, 3:44.01

Triple Jump
1. Jehvania Whyte, 12.42m 
7. Diamond Riley, 11.86m 

High Jump
T15. Taylor Ramsey, 1.56m

Team Standings
1. Akron, 120
2. Central Michigan, 117.5
3. Eastern Michigan, 77
4. Kent State, 75.5
5. NIU, 71
6. Miami, 70
7. Bowling Green, 69
8. Western Michigan, 63.5
9. Ball State, 57
10. Toledo, 49
11. Ohio, 27
12. Buffalo, 22.5