AUSTIN, Texas – National champion long jumper Jasmyn Steels finally returned to the track in her primary event this past week after more than a year without competition.
 
Steels, who won the 2019 NCAA Indoor national championship before following that with a silver that outdoor season, didn't have any expectation of what kind of mark she'd land.
 
She crossed the 21-foot mark (21-2) to take second in the TCU Invitational, which turned out to be the second best jump in the nation as TCU's Destiny Longmire claimed the best mark (21-7.5).
 
Steels, who will be one of 28 Northwestern State athletes competing at the nationally acclaimed Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, has a chance along with other top NSU performers to remind the nation she hasn't gone anywhere.
 
"I scratched in my first jump (at TCU), and I looked at (jumps coach Tyron Stewart) and said, 'Ok, I've still got it, no worries," joked Steels, whose personal record and NSU record is 22-0.5. "I wasn't nervous, but I was anxious to see what mark I would even jump because I had no expectations.
 
"The Texas Relays will be more intense, and it's good that the season is amping up. But my excitement level is high no matter what because every week is meet week now, and everything is exciting because I didn't have a season for a year. I won't let them forget, I have to let them know I'm still here. It's a great meet, and these girls are really good, but so am I."
 
Programs from across the nation flock to the Texas Relays every year, creating a national championship-like atmosphere.
 
The three-day meet starts Thursday with event finals Saturday and will be broadcast on The Longhorn Network.
 
NSU track and field coach Mike Heimerman said his athletes love measuring themselves against the nation's best.
 
"Schools from up north come down because it's almost a guarantee of warm weather – they probably still have snow on the track back home," Heimerman said. "Our kids love rising to the occasion, and it's fun to watch them in this meet.
 
"We're fortunate to be in the South and compete at places like LSU and Texas A&M, but this meet at Texas attracts the best of the best. Our kids will try to get a regional qualifying mark and see how they stack up at this point in the season."
 
Steels will compete in the long, triple and high jump, but she's far from the only NSU name who has national aspirations.
 
The NSU women's 4x400 relay won the TCU Invitational by more than five seconds (3:41.22) in a field that included three Big 12 schools, clocking the 12^th-fastest time nationally this outdoor season.
 
Participants from around the country are transitioning from the NCAA Indoor nationals with this week being the first full week of outdoor competition.
 
"Everybody will certainly see competition at their events in this meet," Heimerman said. "We're still in a big training phase with the goal of setting ourselves up for May and June, but what we want to see is these kids go out and compete as hard as they can.
 
"This group really completes, and I say this a lot, but (sprints coach) Adam Pennington and (jumps coach) Tyron Stewart have done a phenomenal job of recruiting competitive kids."
 
Sprinter Natashia Jackson runs a leg on that 4x400 relay and will open her season in the 400 meters with her second meet in the 200 meters this season.
 
Kie'Ave Harry, who posted the fastest 100 meters time in the nation on opening weekend, is one of four 100 sprinters to land a spot. His 10.36 still sits seventh nationally.
 
"Kie'Ave ran that on a soft track, and we didn't know he'd run that fast that quickly," Heimerman said. "Speedy is a machine at track meets, and I know she'll rise to the challenge."
 
Kennedy Harrison and Destine Scott will suit up in the 200 and 400 meters, two of four NSU runners competing in those events. Harrison ranks 36^th nationally in the 200.
 
The men's 4x100 and 4x400 relay are also on the docket, along with the women's 4x100.
 
Hurdler Janiel Moore will compete in her specialty – the 400 meter hurdles – for the first time since winning a junior college national championship at South Plains College.
 
Lauren-Ashley Clarke will join Steels in the triple jump and high jump as both jumpers are seeking a top-32 mark to land in the NCAA East Regional Preliminaries with the hopes of advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
 
Clarke's 42-4 this season ranks ninth.
 
"Janiel's training suggests she'll run a fast time, and we can't wait to see her take part in this event," Heimerman said. "(Clarke) has jumped really in just three meets total this season, and I think she can get to 44 feet, which would put her in the top five nationally."
 
LaTyria Jefferson, an All-American at Kansas, will look for her first mark in the high jump this season.
 
Quindarrius Thompson is also aiming for his first mark in his specialty triple jump.
 
"Quin had some monster jumps (at TCU), but he had a foul problem," Heimerman said. "He just needs more reps at meets because with all that adrenaline pumping, you can run a little faster and push a little harder and overstep."
 
Long jumper Markeit Steverson is eager to climb the national ranks after his 24-2.5 at TCU sits 20^th nationally.