EMPORIA, KS – Another exceptional performance on the biggest of stages carried the University of Mary's Arianna Passeri to a third place finish at the 2024 NCAA Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Exploding for three marks that rank in her career top four, Passeri claimed All-American honors for the fifth time in her career.
 
This is the third straight time Passeri has placed third at an NCAA championship. The senior took third in the long jump at the 2023 NCAA outdoor championships before taking third at both the 2024 NCAA indoor and outdoor meets.
 
Passeri, the 2024 Northern Sun outdoor long jump champion after breaking a 39-year-old conference mark and a 28-year-old school mark, came out on fire. On her first attempt of the day, the native of Rosemount, MN, cleared 6.31 meters to move into first place. At the time it was her 2^nd-best career mark. After following with successful attempts of 6.22, 5.89 and 6.17 meters over her next three jumps she had slipped to second. Her 5^th mark of the day kept her in 2^nd (6.33 meters) before dropping to third two competitors later.
 
She wrapped up the event with a leap of 6.34 meters. Her best mark of the day ensured her another 3^rd place NCAA finish. The final attempt of her collegiate long jump career is the 2^nd best of her career. She set the NSIC and UMary mark with a leap of 6.38 meters two weeks earlier.
 
Nicole Walker of Azusa Pacific set a meet record with a leap of 6.81 meters to win the long jump title. Jonan Young of Cal State Los Angeles was second at 6.47 meters.
 
Passeri is now a 5-time All-American. Previously she finished 3^rd in the long jump and 6^th in the triple jump at the 2024 NCAA indoor championships, 3^rd in the long jump at the 2023 outdoor meet and 6^th at the 2023 indoor championships. She also competed at the 2022 NCAA indoor meet.
 
Not quite done competing for the Marauders, Passeri competes in the triple jump on Friday, May 24. She ranks 13th in the event at 12.45 meters.
  
In her first of two events this weekend, Northern Sun champion Sakena Massiah ran the 400 meter dash in a time of 55.27 seconds. Racing at an NCAA championship event for the first time, Massiah finished 19^th overall in a field of 24 and 7^th in her heat.
 
Massiah next races in the 200 meter preliminaries on Friday, May 24, at 5:45 pm, for an opportunity to advance to Championship Saturday. She is seeded 19^th in the event.
 
Laila Claire, also racing in her first national championship event, tied her career-best time (non-wind-aided) in the 100 meter dash of 11.67 seconds. Racing in the second heat, the Northern Sun all-conference sprinter placed 20^th out of 24 runners overall and 7^th in her heat.
 
The Marauders women's team features a quartet of performances on Friday, May 24:
4:45 pm – Women's Triple Jump finals (Arianna Passeri)
5:45 pm – Women's 200 preliminaries (Sakena Massiah)
6:15 pm – Women's 800 preliminaries (Elizabeth Acheson)
6:50 pm – Women's 100 meter hurdle preliminaries (Tia Horning)
 
#marauders#