After its success in the indoor season, NIU track and field claimed two event titles and broke two more school records at the UCF Black & Gold Challenge Saturday.

The Huskies had a 15 top-five finishes and nine personal records at the meet.

In the 200 meters, Janay Mitchell broke Coretta Evans five-year old NIU record with a run of 24.07. Mitchell also played a role in the 4×100 relay team’s record run, running with teammates Chanel Kellyman, Roneisha Frye and Rasheta Butler. The Huskie topped the school record with a time of 45.51 to finish in third place.

The Huskies set 11 school records during the indoor season, and they hope they can bring that same type of competitiveness into the outdoor season. NIU hopes to use its recent meet as a test for the rest of the season, said Connie Teaberry, NIU Director of Track & Field and Cross Country.

“We want the ladies to continue to compete their hardest and to believe in themselves each and everyday,” Teaberry said. “I anticipate having more individual performances to hopefully help get us to nationals. We use our spring break trip to go somewhere warm to get a good practice session in to help us prepare for our first outdoor meet of the season,”

Even though it was their first outdoor meet of the season, NIU sprinter Jenelle McCalla expected good results for herself and her teammates. Although going from indoor to outdoor can be a tough transition especially for the underclassmen, McCalla said she’s up for the hard challenge.

“I knew it was the first outdoor meet, but I still expect to do well since I have been running the same races indoor as outdoor,” McCalla said. “The weather plays a huge role because you have to get adjusted to breathing the outdoor air, and it is easier to breathe inside and you don’t have to deal with the different types of weather.”