By: Chris Little-NSU Sports Information
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – After dominating nearly everyone she's faced this season,
Jasmyn Steels will represent Northwestern State among the nation's top 16 female long jumpers at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships Friday evening.
The long jump prelims are scheduled for 7:10 p.m. from the Birmingham CrossPlex, the same venue that hosted the Southland Conference Indoor Championships on Feb. 24-25. The top nine advance to the finals and begin 10 minutes after the last preliminary attempt.
Steels, a junior, ranks as the nation's ninth best with a jump of 20-7 ¼, a career-best she achieved at the UA Tyson Invitational on Feb. 8. The leap is second in the Southland Conference for the indoor season and is also second in the NSU record book, only 1 ¼ inches behind by four-time All-American Stephanie Sowell in 2004.
Head track and field coach
Mike Heimerman says he's optimistic that she can have a big day.
"I'm really excited. She's put in a lot of hard work to get to where she's at and I think she's got a chance to win it," said Heimerman. "The first place jump is only four to six inches ahead of her, which might seem like a lot, but its really not. She's had some great jumps in practice and competition that ended up being foot-fouls. She could go anywhere from first to last, but she's definitely in the mix."
Steels becomes the first NSU track and field athlete to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championship since Aaron Williams (triple jump) in 2015 and the first Lady Demon since Sowell (long and triple jump) in 2004. Once she competes Friday, she will also join them as an indoor All-American with the top eight earning automatic first-team honors and the remaining eight earning second-team.
The College Station, Texas, native placed first in every long jump she participated in this season until she was bested by Sarea Alexander of Incarnate Word at the Southland Indoor Championship, landing the silver medal at 20-4 ½. Alexander's impressive jump of 20-11 ¼ moved her into seventh in the country to qualify for nationals. The pair also met in the conference triple jump finals, with Alexander (42-7) again forcing Steels into a second-place finish (40-11 ½).
The nation's leading distance is 21-3 ½ set by Rougui Sow of Florida State at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships on Feb. 21.
Video coverage will be provided by
ESPN3 and live results can be found
here.
Full list of women's long jump qualifiers:
Rank Name Year School
- Rougui Sow SR Florida State
- Yanis David SR Florida
- Jordan Gray SR Kennesaw State
- Nadia Williams JR Central Michigan
- Destiny Longmire JR TCU
- Michelle Fokam JR Rice
- Sarea Alexander SR Incarnate Word
- Rhesa Foster JR Oregon
- Jasmyn Steels JR Northwestern State
- Margaux Jones SR USC
- Deborah Acquah SO Texas A&M
- Kiara Williams SR Alabama
- Asia Poe FR Mississippi State
- Jessica Barreira SR Arizona State
- Ivy Walker JR Texas Tech
- Samiyah Samuels JR Houston
