TURLOCK, Calif. – After a month of indoor competitions, the outdoor season officially started over the weekend as Jessup competed at the Kim Duyst Invitational in Turlock. With athletes looking to punch their ticket to Indiana, the Warriors had a very successful day to kick off a new season.
 
The field of schools saw competitors from all levels of athletics, including all three levels of the NCAA, NAIA, and junior college.
 
Head coach Jeff Magley said of the day, "It was a very good outdoor opener for us. It was great to have such a good mix of competition. We had all five divisions, and it's always great to compete in those types of invitationals because it's such a wide range of competition."
 
Highlighting the day was the record-breaking performance by Alexis Jones in the triple jump. Jones, who qualified for nationals in this event a year ago, took first in the event with a mark of 11.39m.
 
Jones sits just .36m, or 1.18', off of the A-Standard for the national championship.
 
"The highlight of the day was Lexi Jones breaking her own school record in the women's triple jump," added Magley. "Obviously, a great way for her to start her outdoor season. She'll be knocking right on the door for the national qualifying standard."
 
Back in action were multi-athletes Jaylee Hameister and Alexander Travis. The duo last competed at the Chico Multi-Event Classic and set new PRs today in the high jump. Hameister's mark of 1.37m matches the indoor mark she set earlier this year, while Travis posted 1.68m.
 
Elizabeth Shykowski continued Jessup's success in the 5,000m, posting a new PR with a time of 19:46.51. She beats the indoor mark she previously ran by 40 seconds. The 5K has been a big event for Jessup as of late, as Azalea Prince competed in the event this week at the indoor national championship.
 
Freshman Erica Waseq, who broke records earlier in the year to start her collegiate career, cracked the top five in program history with her 100m hurdle time of 15.57. She also posted a strong time in the 100m (13.06).
 
Julissa Casillas improved her career-best time in the 400m, posting 1:04.70 to improve her PR by almost four seconds.
 
Team scoring saw the Jessup women take sixth out of 13 competing schools. The Jessup men placed seventh out of 12.
 
"Overall, it was a very good start to the season," added Magley. "This gave us a good indicator of where we're at and what we need to focus on as we dial in for the rest of the way."
 
The Warriors will be back in action next weekend when they visit UC Davis for the Aggie Open.  
Jessup University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter & Instagram).