Pueblo, Colorado - The New Mexico Highlands University track and field team positioned itself for a strong finish at the RMAC Outdoor Championships, highlighted by a dramatic victory in the long jump and a string of top-seeded qualifying performances on Saturday.
Dramatic Finish in the Long Jump
Rojrika Campbell provided the highlight of the day, securing the long jump title on her final attempt. Trailing defending indoor champion Violet Williams of Colorado Mines heading into the final round, Campbell unleashed a leap of 6.15m. The mark was enough to overtake Williams and move Campbell into the Top 10 nationally in NCAA Division II, likely securing her spot at the upcoming national championships.
"Coach (Chisom) Obioha has done a great job getting Rojrika ready for this meet," said HU head coach
Bob DeVries.
Freshman Excellence in the Heptathlon
Earlier in the competition, freshman
Lucia Burba delivered a standout performance in the heptathlon. Burba set career-best marks in four of the seven disciplines to finish sixth overall with 4,630 points. Her score also bettered the NCAA provisional qualifying mark.
"I have a soft spot for heptathletes," DeVries noted. "Our first real success in Track and Field came with multis and I am really proud of how Lucia performed in the championship."
Dominance in the Sprints
While Campbell and Burba secured points in the field and multi-events, the Cowgirl sprint crew spent Saturday afternoon dominating preliminary rounds.
Patreece Clarke led the way, qualifying first in the 100m and breaking her own RMAC Championship record in the 100m hurdles to take the top seed into the finals.
Ashley Barrett also enjoyed a stellar day, qualifying second in the 100m and claiming the top seed in the 200m. Joining her in the 200m finals will be
Kayci-Jo Davis, while
Amoya Jameison won her heat to qualify second in the 400m.
"Championships are all about advancing to the finals—we did just about all we could today to put ourselves in position to score a lot of points on Sunday," DeVries said. "Our sprint crew, led by coach Russell, is tops in the RMAC."
Looking Ahead to Sunday
The Cowgirls head into the final day of competition with several scoring opportunities remaining. In addition to the sprint finals, the team will compete in the 4x100m relay, where they currently rank third in the nation and are seeking their fourth consecutive conference title. Campbell will also return to the apron looking for more hardware in the high jump and triple jump.
Live results and championship information can be found at the
RMAC Championship portal.
