NIU track and field has gotten off to a good start this season after consistently producing top finishers in its respective events.  

That consistency is due to three big factors: The Huskies have one of – if not the best – high jump units in the MAC, the Huskies have dominant seniors and the Huskies have just as dominant freshmen. 

THE HUSKIES HAVE THE TOP HIGH JUMP TEAM IN THE MAC

It seems as though in every competition the Huskies participate in, they either win the high jump event or have multiple Huskies at the podium. This high jump team is led by senior Kamiya Dendy and freshman Jasmijn Raes. 

The Huskies’ high jump performance at the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championship encapsulates NIU’s dominance in this event within the conference. NIU had three athletes finish in the top-four in Dendy, Raes and sophomore Arianna Calloway. 

Earlier on in the season, Dendy consistently placed behind Raes until the last couple of events, in which she has been the one finishing first place consistently. Although Dendy has the upper hand as of late, Raes consistently follows right behind her.

Dendy’s dominance has been clear, as she has four first-place finishes this season and four second-place finishes. 

In this deep high jump group, Calloway has found her own success behind Dendy and Raes, with six top-five finishes of her own and one victory. 

Senior Samira Rosenfeld even competed in a couple of high jump competitions this season, picking up a first place finish at the Chicagoland Indoor Championship on Valentine’s Day.

This is the deepest high jump team in the MAC and even when the Huskies lose their seniors this offseason, they will be just fine and could be even more dominant next season. 

SENIOR DOMINANCE

Dendy has been at the forefront of the team’s success but let’s not forget about sprinters senior Talayssia Sanders and fifth-year Malia Watkins.

The outdoor season kicked off on March 14 and Watkins is off to a hot start, as she took first place in each of the last two meets in the long jump event. Watkins also took the 100-meter dash finals at the Redbird Challenge on Saturday.

Sanders also had a great performance in the last event, finishing in the top-5 in two events taking second place in the 200-meter dash and fifth in the 400-meter dash. 

In the indoor track season, senior sprinter Roshell Rowe was another standout Huskie. Rowe produced two top-five finishes, including a victory at the Blue-Gold Invite on Dec 6.

The Huskies aren’t just deep with their high jump team, they also have multiple gifted sprinters. Even when the cream of the crop seniors hang up their cleats, the Huskies still will be in good hands with underclassmen led by sophomore Sadiya Shamsid-Deen and freshman Esther Momalife to carry the Huskies to the finish line. 

ELECTRIC EARLY BLOOMERS

At the end of the MAC Indoor Championship event on March 1, the NIU director of track and field stressed her pride in the Huskies’ underclassmen. 

“The staff looks forward to our young team competing outdoors and adding those at home back on the track,” head coach Connie Teaberry said via NIU Athletics. “We are proud of this group of athletes and excited for our future.” 

NIU should be excited about the future within this track and field squad, as multiple underclassmen have shown out this season. 

Freshman Precious Umukoro placed second in the long jump competition with a height of 5.85 meters and fourth in the triple jump event with a jump of 11.90 meters at the Myrtle Beach Collegiate Challenge. 

With a season-best of 6.00 meter long jump and a 12.13 meter triple jump finish, she is well on her way to take it up a notch at the NCAA and the MAC Outdoor Championship competitions. 

Raes is another freshman having great success in her first collegiate season, as she finished third place in the high jump event at this year’s MAC Indoor Championship. 

She put on a clinic to start this season in the high jump competition, consistently finishing events at the top of the leaderboard in jump events. Raes won four high jump events and finished second three times in 12 meets this season. 

Raes and Umukoro are consistently finishing as the top finishers as freshmen, imagine what they will do in the next three years. 

Momalife and Huber are two other names that have stood out this season. At the Redbird Challenge, Huber finished top-10 in multiple events, third place in the 100-meter finals and ninth in the 200-meter dash. 

Momalife has been reliable all season, competing in multiple events and playing a big part in the Huskies’ 4×100-meter relay team. 

Each of these young Huskies has had their own fair share of great success and top finishing performances early in their careers. I can’t wait to see where they finish this last stretch of the season.