Ahrens jumps to history
Becomes first Maverick track and field
athlete to become Division I All-American
At the University of Oregon’s historic Hayward Field June 9, UNO senior Stephanie Ahrens made some history of her own.
Ahrens earned All-American honors at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, becoming the first Maverick in UNO track & field history to do so since the university moved all sports to Division I competition.
Ahrens tied for eighth in the high jump with a height of 5-feet-10 inches. Alexus Henry of the University of Texas at Arlington won the meet with a jump of 5-11 ½. The top eight performers in NCAA track and field events become All-Americans.
“I want to give a huge thank you to the coaching staff for helping me achieve this goal, especially Coach Jill Sutton for preparing me for everything in Oregon, including the weather,” said Ahrens.
Ahrens cleared 5-8 on her first attempt. She cleared 5-10 on her third attempt.
The jump capped an incredible Maverick career for Ahrens, a graduate of Lincoln Southwest High School. She won four Summit League high jump titles and was named All-Summit League and Academic All-Summit League four times. She holds the UNO record in the high jump at 5-11 ½, set in April at the Bryan Clay Invitational.
Ahrens also competed for UNO in the triple jump and the 60-meter and 100-meter hurdles.
“This is such an incredible accomplishment for Stephanie, our track and field program and the athletic department,” said Head Coach Chris Richardson. “This performance is a culmination of all the hard work that she and Coach Sutton have put in all year. I can’t express how happy I am for both of them.”
Former Mavericks Heather Minssen and Sami Spenner were the last UNO track and field athletes to earn All-America status, that happening in 2011 during the Division II era.