On the heels of her third-straight record breaking performance during
the Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolf Invitational, Jazzelena Black has
been selected the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Field Athlete
of the Week as announced by the league office
Tuesday afternoon.
This marks the first NSIC weekly honor for the Cougar freshman.
The Oxnard, Calif., native won the triple jump and set the school record for the third straight meet with
a leap of 39-2.5 (11.95m). Black also took third in the long jump with a mark of 18-5.75 (5.63m).
It is Black's second win in her first three collegiate meets; she also won the long jump at the Chuck
Peterson Open on Dec. 8.
Black's winning effort in the triple jump is the No.1 mark in the NSIC this season and ranks seventh in
the NCAA D-II. Black also owns the NSIC's best long jump result of 19'
5.25" (5.92m),
which currently ranks second in the nation. Both results have met the NCAA D-II provisional standard.
“We've
been really surprised in terms of what Jazzelena has done as a
freshman, especially since we're
in the process of changing her technique to help her jump farther,” said
Reid Ehrisman, Director of USF Track and Field/Cross Country. “A
lot
of credit goes to (horizontal jumps) coach Reid Johnson, who has been
working hard to help Jazzelena reach her full potential in both events.”
“To see Jazz perform this well right away as a freshman in a league as competitive as the NSIC, that's
pretty impressive,” he added.
Sioux Falls returns to action next weekend with the Dennis Young Classic in Storm Lake, Iowa.
