Thursday, May 28
Fayettevile, Ark.
6:30 PM
Creighton University
at
NCAA First Round
Trinity Shadd-Ceres
Photo by: Brendan Maloney
CU in Eugene! Shadd-Ceres Qualifies for NCAA Finals
5/28/2026 8:46:00 PM | Women's Cross Country / Track
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Trinity Shadd-Ceres continues to make history as the Creighton long jumper became the first track student-athlete in program history to qualify for the NCAA Finals after placing sixth on Thursday night at the NCAA First Round in Fayetteville, Ark.
Shadd-Ceres entered the day with a jump that was tied for the 18th-best in the West Region this year, but far exceeded that on her third and final jump as she soared a season-best 6.44 meters (21' 1½") to place sixth in the field of 48 of the West Region's best long jumpers.
With today's leap, Shadd-Ceres becomes one of 24 qualifiers nationally (12 from the West Region, another 12 from the East Region) for the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. The long jump competition will be held on June 11 at 8:40 p.m. Central at the famed Hayward Field. Each participant will get three preliminary jumps, with the top nine advancing to the finals and earning three additional attempts.
"I'm really proud of myself for the little time I've had to do things," said Shadd-Ceres. "The distance I've jumped is only five centimeters from my best. I wouldn't be here without God...that's the biggest thing, but I'm just excited. The whole point of coming back to track was to find joy again after I lost it. It was fun today and I hope I continue to have fun and keep improving. I'm still hungry and not satisfied, and looking for improvement to get better every day as I keep working with coach (Chris) Gannon."
Shadd-Ceres was in sixth place after the first round, jumping 6.36 meters (20' 10.5") to match her distance that won the BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 15th.Â
Her second jump was 6.12 meters (20' 1"), but she was still in eighth place heading into the final of her three leaps.
Having fallen to 10th place with six jumpers still to compete after her, Shadd-Ceres eliminated any drama as the redshirt freshman uncorked her best jump of the spring to secure her trip to Eugene. Shadd-Ceres was one of just seven competitors in the field of 48 who attained a season-high on Thursday amidst the wet track conditions.
"Obviously it's her best series of the year, so we've got to be excited about that," said head coach Chris Gannon. "She had a 6.36 meter first jump that was a great opener. Her second jump just wasn't quick at the board and we talked about that, and then her last jump was her best jump of the year. She kept things simple and she executed. It was a big time jump in a big time moment. She just does what she does being a great athlete and competitor."
Shadd-Ceres, who didn't start competing for the Creighton Track teams until May 2nd after finishing up the spring volleyball season, had won each of her first three competitions as a Bluejay, emerging victorious at the Musco Twilight (May 2), Nebraska Spring Tune-Up (May 8) and BIG EAST Championships (May 15). She had become the Creighton's first individual champion at a BIG EAST Championship on May 15th with a leap of 6.36 meters (20' 10.5").
Shadd-Ceres' distance tonight was two inches (6.49 meters) shy of her lifetime-best done on August 5, 2023.
Creighton ran its first official NCAA track season since 1961 during the spring of 2022 as a distance-based track program, utilizing the cross country roster, and has slowly added to that in various field events. The Bluejay program is led by head coach Chris Gannon and assistant coach Matthew Fayers.
When asked about what the moment meant for CU's emerging track program, Gannon was emotional. "There's been a lot of reflection on that the last few days. Just being here and having an opportunity. We knew we had a chance to qualify for Oregon and don't take these for granted. It just shows we'll continue to grow and raise the standard, not just for her but for everybody. It proves we can do great things here and when you consider we didn't have a program a few years ago it's pretty crazy. It's something to be really proud of and it takes a lot of people to make it happen. It's pretty special."
Even before her performance tonight, Shadd-Ceres made history as Creighton's first female track & field athlete to qualify for the NCAA First Round. She joined Tommy Ward and Jacob Ludwick as the school's lone postseason track & field qualifiers to date. Ward was seeded 42nd and finished 42nd in the 800 in 2023, while Ludwick was seeded 48th in the West Region of the javelin and finished 38th in 2025.
Shadd-Ceres entered the day with a jump that was tied for the 18th-best in the West Region this year, but far exceeded that on her third and final jump as she soared a season-best 6.44 meters (21' 1½") to place sixth in the field of 48 of the West Region's best long jumpers.
With today's leap, Shadd-Ceres becomes one of 24 qualifiers nationally (12 from the West Region, another 12 from the East Region) for the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. The long jump competition will be held on June 11 at 8:40 p.m. Central at the famed Hayward Field. Each participant will get three preliminary jumps, with the top nine advancing to the finals and earning three additional attempts.
"I'm really proud of myself for the little time I've had to do things," said Shadd-Ceres. "The distance I've jumped is only five centimeters from my best. I wouldn't be here without God...that's the biggest thing, but I'm just excited. The whole point of coming back to track was to find joy again after I lost it. It was fun today and I hope I continue to have fun and keep improving. I'm still hungry and not satisfied, and looking for improvement to get better every day as I keep working with coach (Chris) Gannon."
Shadd-Ceres was in sixth place after the first round, jumping 6.36 meters (20' 10.5") to match her distance that won the BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 15th.Â
Her second jump was 6.12 meters (20' 1"), but she was still in eighth place heading into the final of her three leaps.
Having fallen to 10th place with six jumpers still to compete after her, Shadd-Ceres eliminated any drama as the redshirt freshman uncorked her best jump of the spring to secure her trip to Eugene. Shadd-Ceres was one of just seven competitors in the field of 48 who attained a season-high on Thursday amidst the wet track conditions.
"Obviously it's her best series of the year, so we've got to be excited about that," said head coach Chris Gannon. "She had a 6.36 meter first jump that was a great opener. Her second jump just wasn't quick at the board and we talked about that, and then her last jump was her best jump of the year. She kept things simple and she executed. It was a big time jump in a big time moment. She just does what she does being a great athlete and competitor."
Shadd-Ceres, who didn't start competing for the Creighton Track teams until May 2nd after finishing up the spring volleyball season, had won each of her first three competitions as a Bluejay, emerging victorious at the Musco Twilight (May 2), Nebraska Spring Tune-Up (May 8) and BIG EAST Championships (May 15). She had become the Creighton's first individual champion at a BIG EAST Championship on May 15th with a leap of 6.36 meters (20' 10.5").
Shadd-Ceres' distance tonight was two inches (6.49 meters) shy of her lifetime-best done on August 5, 2023.
Creighton ran its first official NCAA track season since 1961 during the spring of 2022 as a distance-based track program, utilizing the cross country roster, and has slowly added to that in various field events. The Bluejay program is led by head coach Chris Gannon and assistant coach Matthew Fayers.
When asked about what the moment meant for CU's emerging track program, Gannon was emotional. "There's been a lot of reflection on that the last few days. Just being here and having an opportunity. We knew we had a chance to qualify for Oregon and don't take these for granted. It just shows we'll continue to grow and raise the standard, not just for her but for everybody. It proves we can do great things here and when you consider we didn't have a program a few years ago it's pretty crazy. It's something to be really proud of and it takes a lot of people to make it happen. It's pretty special."
Even before her performance tonight, Shadd-Ceres made history as Creighton's first female track & field athlete to qualify for the NCAA First Round. She joined Tommy Ward and Jacob Ludwick as the school's lone postseason track & field qualifiers to date. Ward was seeded 42nd and finished 42nd in the 800 in 2023, while Ludwick was seeded 48th in the West Region of the javelin and finished 38th in 2025.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country / Track
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