SHAWNEE – The Oklahoma Baptist women's track and field team will send four athletes to the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships, hosted May 25-27 at Colorado State University-Pueblo in Pueblo, Colorado.
The four participants are the most to represent OBU for individual events at the national meet in the program's NCAA era.
The qualifiers include junior Mary McKey (400m hurdles), sophomore Anisha Henderson (long jump), sophomore Jade Byrd (discus), and freshman Flora Dupans (discus). The last three are the first Oklahoma Baptist athletes to compete in a field event at the end-of-the-year championships.
McKey, a native of Edmond, Okla., will compete at the outdoor championships for a second straight season, this time as an individual participant in the 400m hurdles. McKey enters with the 13th-best time in the country of 1:00.00, earned last week at the Harding Last Chance Meet.
A season ago, McKey collected First Team All-America honors in the 400m hurdles and 4x400 relay. She became the second individual in the Bison's DII era to record a First Team All-America nod in an outdoor event before running the third leg on the 4x400 All-America team that placed seventh at last year's championships.
She has claimed All-America status three times in her career on Bison Hill.
Henderson, a native of Plano, Texas, qualified with a career-best leap of 6.10m (20-0.25) at the Corky/Crofoot Shootout. Seeded 14th, it is her first appearance at nationals.
Byrd and Dupans will compete in the discus, qualifying with the fourth and 12th best marks in Division II. They crushed the same school record of 47.03m (153-4) at the John Jacobs Invitational in April.
Byrd recorded a heave of 49.93m (163-10), while Dupans trailed at 48.31m (158-6). It is also the first appearance at nationals for the duo.
McKey will run in the 400m hurdles preliminaries Thursday at 8:40 p.m., hoping to advance to Saturday's final at 8:20 p.m.
Henderson is set to compete at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, while Byrd and Dupans will throw at 3:00 p.m. Friday.
Oklahoma Baptist Women's Track & Field Outdoor Division II All-Americans
2022
Addison Brooks - 4x400 Relay - First Team
Tizhane Brooks - 4x400 Relay - First Team
Taylor James - 4x400 Relay - First Team
Mary McKey - 4x400 Relay - First Team
Mary McKey - 400 Meter Hurdles - First Team
2019
JaziRose Mayfield - 4x400 Relay - First Team
Sherine Van Der Westhuizen - 4x400 Relay - First Team
Cameka Witter - 4x400 Relay - First Team
McKae Mitchell - 4x400 Relay - First Team
McKae Mitchell - 400 meters - First Team
Cameka Witter - 400 meters - Second Team
2018
Breanna Hurlbut - 4x400 Relay - First Team
JaziRose Mayfield - 4x400 Relay - First Team
McKae Mitchell - 4x400 Relay - First Team
Sherine Van Der Westhuizen - 4x400 Relay - First Team
McKae Mitchell - 400 meters - Second Team
