Track and field picks up 4 first-place finishes at Redbird Challenge

By Micah Huff, Sports Reporter

March 30, 2025

NIU track and field then-senior Malia Watkins makes a turn on the track during the Cyclone Open last January. Watkins took first place in the 100-meter dash at the Redbird Challenge on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of NIU Athletics)

NIU track and field competed in the Redbird Challenge competition Saturday in Normal, lIllinois.

Taking on the Illinois State University Redbirds, NIU had a dominant day on the track and in the field. The Huskies picked up four first-place finishes and three second-place finishes.

NIU’s athletes shined individually, as five Huskies produced season best finishes in their respective event.

TRACK RESULTS

The Huskies got off to a hot start with the women’s 100-meter dash, as fifth-year Malia Watkins had two season best times.

After producing a season-best score in the prelims, she one-upped herself in the finals, taking first place. Watkins’ final and updated season best for the season is a time of 11.77 seconds.

Freshman Sam Huber was another Huskie that outdid herself in her second attempt. In the prelims, she finished in fifth place with a time of 12.16. In Huber’s second attempt in the final race, she took it up a notch, finishing in third place with a time of 12.05.

Freshman Esther Momalife also finished in ninth place with a season-best time of 12.35 seconds and freshman Precious Umukoro was right behind her, finishing in 11th place with a time of 12.43.

The Huskies also had their names all over the top finishes of the women’s 200-meter event, as four NIU racers finished in the top-10 and two in the top five.

Freshman Stella Oyebode finished fourth place with a time of 25.04 and senior Talayssia Sanders finished fifth place with a time of 25.11. Sanders also finished second place in the women’s 400-meter with a 57:30 time, a season best.

Momalife also finished in eighth place with a time of 25.44 and Huber ninth place 25.51.

Huskies took home the 4×100-meter relay with Watkins, Momalife, sophomore Sadiya Shamsid-Deen, and Odeyebe propelling the Huskies to first place with a time of 47.41. Each of these athletes had efficient individual performances, coming together for a dominant 4×100 performance.

FIELD RESULTS

The Huskies’ dominance in the high jump event continued against Illinois State, as Dendy and freshman Jasmijn Raes were looking at each other at the top. Both high jumpers finished with a season-best performance with Dendy clearing the height of 1.74 meters and Raes finishing with a jump of 1.71 meters.

Dendy and Raes’ marks accounted for first and second place.

Sophomore Arianna Calloway also finished in fourth place with a season-best of her own, 1.68 meters, finishing inches away from third place.

NIU saw similar success in the triple jump event, as Umukoro took second place after clearing 11.68 meters.

The Huskies also made their presence felt in the throwing competitions as graduate student Giorgia Fino finished in fourth place in the javelin event with a throw that reached 36.22 meters.

UP NEXT

Next weekend, the Huskies have another chance to get some hardware, as they take on the Chicagoland Championship. The championship is a two-day event that will finish Saturday in Elmhurst, Illinois.

Other NIU athletes will be competing at the Stanford Invitational, another two-day event which also wraps up Saturday, but is hosted in Stanford, California.