SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Freshman Arianna Calloway (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs) won the high jump and junior Henriette Halwas (Knittlingen, Germany) won the long jump as the Northern Illinois University women's track and field team began the indoor season on Friday (Dec. 1) at Notre Dame's Blue and Gold Invitational.

"This was an exciting opener for the athletes at Notre Dame today," said NIU Director of Track and Field Connie Teaberry. "With several new athletes on the team, it was important that we got on the track as soon as possible to keep their confidence up and it paid off for all of them. Several athletes had their best opening performance and set personal records.  

"We had a new school record in the high jump by freshman Arianna Calloway and Henriette Halwas PR'ed in both of her events, the 60 hurdles and the long jump. The cobwebs are off, and the work continues. We will continue grinding and their assignment is to continue to get stronger mentally and physically once they depart for the winter break in two weeks."

Competing in her first collegiate meet, Calloway topped the field, and set a school record, in the high jump, clearing 1.80 meters (5-10.75). The Huskie freshman took first-place via tiebreaker over Notre Dame's Madison Schmidt as neither cleared 1.83m. Both competitors went over 1.80m on the third attempt but Calloway needed fewer attempts to clear the bar at 1.75m.

Calloway bettered the previous NIU school record of 1.77 meters (5-09.75), set by Chennel Palmer at the Illini Classic on Jan. 16, 2016. 

Halwas comfortably took top honors in the long jump, leading the way by over six inches. Halwas' top effort measured 5.81 meters (19-00.75), which came on her sixth attempt of the day, and bettered second-place Carlie Turner of Indiana Tech who leaped 5.62 meters (18-05.25). 

In the 60-meter hurdles, Halwas earned a fifth-place finish, running a time of 9.00 to win heat two. Elizabeth Knoll (Muskegon, Mich./Michigan State) also claimed a top-10 in the 60 hurdles with a time of 9.56 seconds. 

Skylynn Blue (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) earned a pair of top-10 finishes, in the 60 meters and 200 meters. In the 200, Blue finished third in a time of 24.54 seconds with teammate Roshell Rowe (Manchester, N.J./Manchester) taking sixth in 25.91 seconds. Blue also took sixth in the 60-meter dash, running a time of 7.68 seconds. 

Two Huskies earned top-10 finishes in the 400 meters as Talayssia Sanders (Waco, Texas/Waco Connally) earned a fourth-place finish, running a time of 56.55 seconds and Rowe had her second top-10 of the meet, running 57.71 to claim sixth. 

In the 4x400-meter relay, Emma Vorpagel (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead), Olivia Southby (New South Wales, Australia/Therry Catholic), Knoll and Calloway combined to record a time of 4:00.91, to finish second. 

NIU will be back in action in the New Year as the Huskies open 2024 at the Hawkeye Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 13, in Iowa City, Iowa. 


60-meter Dash
6. Skylynn Blue, 7.68
23. Faith Rouse, 8.39

200-meter Dash
3. Skylynn Blue, 24.54
6. Roshell Rowe, 25.91
18. Faith Rouse, 27.85
21. Kayla Johnson, 28.44

400-meter Dash
4. Talayssia Sanders, 56.55
6. Roshell Rowe, 57.71

800-meter Run
2. Kennedy Crawford, 2:19.81
3. Emma Vorpagel, 2:21.74
4. Olivia Southby, 2:26.60

60-meter Hurdles
5. Henriette Halwas, 9.00
10. Elizabeth Knoll, 9.56
12. Kayla Johnson, 9.63

4x400-meter Relay
2. Vorpagel, Southby, Knoll, Calloway, 4:00.91

High Jump
1. Arianna Calloway, 1.80m (5-10.75)

Long Jump
1. Henriette Halwas, 5.81m (19-00.75)
22. Elizabeth Knoll, 4.62m (15-02.00)

Triple Jump
4. Kendal Only, 11.68m (38-04.00)

Shot Put
22. Emily Rublein, 7.65m (25-01.25)
23. Elizabeth Knoll, 6.24m (20-05.75)