Women's Track and Field | May 19

DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University women's track and field will have six student-athletes compete at the NCAA Division I Track and Field West Preliminary, hosted by the University of Arkansas May 25-28, as the NCAA announced the participants for the outdoor track and field preliminaries on Thursday.
 
Senior Diamond Riley (St. Louis, Mo./Ritenour) qualified for her second NCAA Preliminary in the triple jump. Riley ranked 39^th in the West Preliminary with a jump of 12.71 meters at the Mid-American Conference Championship. In 2019, Riley finished 32^nd at the NCAA West Preliminary with a jump of 12.33 meters. Katrina Small (Atlanta, Ga./The St. Michael School) will also compete in the triple jump, qualifying 38^th with a jump of 12.72 meters at the MAC Championship to take third place.
 
Jazmyn Smith (Pinecrest, Fla./Gulliver Prep) also qualified in the field events in the long jump. Her school-record jump of 6.15 meters at the MAC Championship is the 40^th-best leap in the field at the West Preliminary.
 
NIU will also have three runners on the track, each making their first NCAA appearance. Sophomore Skylynn Blue (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) will run in the 200 meter dash. Her qualifying time of 23.46 ranks her 29^th at the West Preliminary and was set in her MAC Championship-winning performance on May 14. Malia Watkins (Upper Marlboro, Md./Missouri State) qualified in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.55 seconds set at the Musco Twilight on April 23 at Iowa, which ranks her 46^th in the event at the West Preliminary. Scout Regular is ranked 46^th in the 100 meter hurdles based on her time of 13.64 seconds at the MAC Championship where she finished second.
 
"It is always rewarding to have athletes trust the process, work diligently to accomplish their goals and see those come to fruition at the conference and national level," said NIU Director of Track and Field Connie Teaberry. "The competition will be tough, but this is what they have been preparing for the entire season and the staff is anxious to see their next breakthrough performances."
 
Qualifiers from the NCAA Preliminary Round will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. June 8-11.
 
--NIU--