CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Tara Stauffacher (Columbus, Wis./Wisconsin) won the shot put and the quartet of Aasiyah Barr (Lansing, Ill./Thornton Fractional South), Skylynn Blue (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central), Christine Irving (St. James, Jamaica/Texas State) and Malia Watkins (Upper Marlboro, Md./Missouri State) won the 4x100-meter relay as the Northern Illinois University women's track and field team closed its regular season on Saturday (May 4) at the Fighting Illini Tune Up. 

"We had the opportunity to capitalize on the great weather at the University of Illinois this weekend," said NIU Director of Track and Field Connie Teaberry. "The athletes fine-tuned in preparation for the MAC Championships next week at home and we are excited to see how they compete next week."

Stauffacher bettered 12 meters twice in the shot put, with her second and fourth attempts of the competition, winning the title with a mark of 12.13 meters (39-09.75) on her fourth throw. Stauffacher, who ranks in the top-20 in the Mid-American Conference in the shot put, broke 12 meters for the third time in four meets after joining the Huskie track and field team following basketball season. 

In the relay, Barr, Blue, Irving and Watkins, posted a season-best time of 46.97 seconds for the Huskies. 

Arianna Calloway (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs) and Kamiya Dendy (Anderson, S.C./Auburn) both cleared 1.71 meters in the high jump. Calloway cleared the mark on her first attempt, to claim the tiebreaker over her teammate, while Dendy cleared on her third attempt to post a season-best height. Both Calloway and Dendy rank in the top-10 in the conference in the high jump. 

Jazmyn Smith (Pinecrest, Fla./Gulliver Prep) recorded a season-best mark in the long jump. Smith's best jump of the day came on her fourth attempt, measuring 6.02 meters (19-09.00), and is the fourth-best long jump mark in the MAC this spring. 

Along with running on NIU's winning 4x100 relay, Blue posted a season-best time in the 100 meters, running 12.15 seconds to finish fourth with a top-30 time in the conference. 

In the triple jump, Kendal Only (Huntley, Ill./Huntley) was just two one-hundredths of a meter off her season-best mark as she finished second with a best leap of 11.82 meters (38-09.50). 

NIU will now turn its attention to the MAC Outdoor Championships, hosted by the Huskies next weekend in DeKalb, May 9-11. Tickets for next weekend's conference meet are on sale now at NIUHuskies.com. 

100-meter Dash
4. Skylynn Blue, 12.15
5. Ari Christian, 13.32

200-meter Dash
4. Christine Irving, 25.16
5. Skylynn Blue, 25.18
7. Henriette Halwas, 26.49

800-meter Run
3. Julia Finegan, 2:19.30

1,500-meter Run
8. Olivia Southby, 5:01.93

4x100-meter Relay
1. Barr, Blue, Irving, Watkins, 46.97

High Jump
4. Arianna Calloway, 1.71m (5-07.25)
5. Kamiya Dendy, 1.71m (5-07.25)

Long Jump
4. Jazmyn Smith, 6.02m (19-09.00)

Triple Jump
2. Kendal Only, 11.82m (38-09.50)
3. Aniya Barton, 11.39m (37-04.50)

Shot Put
1. Tara Stauffacher, 12.13m (39-09.75)
2. Emily Rublein, 8.09m (26-06.50)