DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University women's track and field team heads to Ypsilanti, Mich., this Friday and Saturday (Feb. 23-24) to compete at the Mid-American Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by Eastern Michigan at Bowen Field House.
Competition begins both days at 9 a.m. CT, with the weight throw opening the action on Friday (Feb. 23) and the shot put starting the day on Saturday (Feb. 24).
"We have had an interesting indoor season," said NIU Director of Track and Field
Connie Teaberry. "A little bit of Murphys Law effect, but through it all the athletes have kept their positivity and work ethic in check. As we head into MAC week, we will continue to keep things in perspective, work for every point, support each other, and without reservation give this Indoor Championship everything we have. We have a small but mighty group of women capable of great things and I'm proud of them doing what was needed to obtain this opportunity."
Having already claimed the school record in the high jump, clearing the bar at 1.80 meters (5-10.75) at Notre Dame's Blue and Gold Invitational, freshman
Arianna Calloway (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs), heads to the conference championship tied as the top seed in the event with Buffalos Zahra Amos.
Kamiya Dendy (Anderson, S.C./Auburn) is tied for the fifth seed in the high jump, having posted a season-best mark of 1.74 meters (5-08.50) to win Illinois State's Redbird Tune Up last weekend (Feb. 16).
The high jump will take place on Saturday at the MAC Championship, beginning at 12:30 p.m. CT.
NIU has two other top-10 ranked jumpers as
Henriette Halwas (Knittlingen, Germany/Lindsey Wilson) is fourth in the long jump with a season-best mark of 5.81 meters (19-00.75) and
Kendal Only (Huntley, Ill./Huntley) is ninth in the triple jump with a top mark of 11.68 meters (38-04.00).
Long jump is scheduled for Friday at the MAC Championships, beginning at 3:30 p.m. CT, while the triple jump is set for Saturday at 10:30 a.m. CT.
On the track,
Malia Watkins (Upper Marlboro, Md./Frederick Douglass) goes to Eastern Michigan this weekend having posted the fourth-best time in the MAC in the 200 meters (24.40 seconds) and the seventh-best time in the 60 meters (7.56 seconds).
The preliminary round of both the 60 and 200 meters will take place on Friday, with the 60 meters scheduled for 2:15 p.m. CT and the 200 slated for 3:15 p.m. CT.
Both of NIU's relay teams are ranked in the top-six heading into this weekend's conference championship. Friday's action will conclude with the distance medley relay at 4:45 p.m. CT, where
Olivia Southby (New South Wales, Australia/Washburn),
Olivia Dixon (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs),
Emma Vorpagel (Harland, Wis./Hartland) and
Julia Finegan (Palatine, Ill./Fremd) posted the league's fifth-best time earlier this season at the Meyo Invitational (Feb. 2). The traditional, meet closing 4x400-meter relay is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. NIU's quartet of
Talayssia Sanders (Waco, Texas/Central Arkansas), Watkins,
Kennedy Crawford (Douglasville, Ga./Alexander) and
Roshell Rowe (Manchester, N.J./Manchester) ran 3:49.22 in the 4x400 at the Windy City Invite (Feb. 9), the sixth-best time in the MAC this season.
Last season, the Huskies scored 50.5 points at the MAC Indoor Championships, finishing eighth. NIU has had at least one conference champions at each of the last six indoor conference championships, and at eight of the last nine.
