VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – A clutch performance by
Arianna Passeri on the nation's biggest stage earned the University of Mary senior All-American honors at the 2023 NCAA Women's Indoor Track & Field Championships.
With a top mark of 5.92 meters on the day, the Rosemount, MN, native finished sixth in the long jump in her second visit to the national championships, exceeding her 2022 finish by five slots.
Competing in the second flight of the long jump after entering the weekend second on the national leaderboard, Passeri was sitting 12
th after her first two attempts. In danger of not advancing to the finals and with her season on the line, she exploded for a mark of 5.92 meters, ensuring her a spot in the finals and lifting her to first team All-American honors for the first time.
"We are extremely proud of Arianna continuing the UMary legacy of great success in the jumps," said UMary head track & field coach
Cale Korbelik. "She had some adjustments to make early but got in on the last preliminary jump. We were so happy for her to battle through adversity and never give up. She gave it everything she had and it paid off."
Passeri, who was a second team All-American last season, opened the day with marks of 5.61 and 5.71 meters before posting her top mark of 5.92 meters. After fouling on her fourth attempt, she finished with marks of 5.77 and 5.75 in her final two jumps.
The Marauders lone NCAA championship qualifier had a tremendous finish to the season over the course of her last three meets. One week after she broke the UMary indoor long jump record, Passeri followed with another record-breaking performance on her way to a runner-up finish at the Northern Sun championships. Those efforts proved to be a great precursor to earning All-American honors at the NCAA championships.
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