The NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championship hosted the top athletes in the country at the Division I level to perform in the highly competitive meet. A meet that invites only the top-16 athletes in each event nationally, Cornell Track and Field was represented by seniors Leone Farquharson in the long jump and Beatrice Juskeviciute in the pentathlon.
The two competed on March 11 at the Birmingham Crossplex in Birmingham, Alabama and returned to Cornell having established themselves within the top tier of athletes in the entire country.
At the meet, Farquharson fell short of her HEPS-winning personal best of 6.35 meters (20’10”), but still finished with a solid jump of 6.08 meters (19’11”) for a 16th place finish in the long jump. Juskeviciute placed 11th in the pentathlon with a score of 4116 points.
“It was a really good weekend,” said Farquharson. “It was the biggest weekend for track and field in the NCAA Division One. So I was very much surrounded by the best of the best, and I enjoyed watching as well as competing.”
The duo made the long trip from Ithaca to Birmingham accompanied by three coaches and now return to a week of rest before beginning preparation for working towards the same goal in the outdoor season.
As with the indoor season, Farquharson enters this season with high goals and the skillset to accomplish those goals.
“It’s been a long time coming to be able to get here and get back what we didn’t have due to COVID,” Farqhuarson said. “We have to be international with our work, and it all started in the preseason. I set my goals in the preseason and got to show off my work during competition.”
After another successful outdoor season, both Juskeviciute and Farquharson hope to walk away as repeat HEPS winners and national qualifiers along with other athletes representing Cornell.
As for the post-outdoor season, Farquharson has another goal to work towards. She hopes to compete in the national trials in Jamaica, where she grew up.
This event takes place after the outdoor NCAA championship, giving Farquharson plenty of time to improve her craft before jumping into any sand pit in Jamaica. If she performs well enough, Farquharson could represent Jamaica in some of its bigger national teams.
Until that point, Farquharson, along with the rest of the Red, is ready to get back to training and competing after concluding an exciting indoor season.