Fulton, Mo., May 24, 2021 – Two sport star Avylina Powell-Qualo (Republic, Mo. / Republic) has certainly made quite an impact at her new school. The sophomore at Westminster College came to the college via transfer from Evangel University where she was a member of the women's basketball team and women's track and field team as a freshman. She made waves as a Blue Jay during the basketball season earning second team all-conference honors and helping lead the Blue Jays to the 2021 SLIAC Tournament Championship. She also captured the 2021 SLIAC High Jump Championship at this Sprigs SLIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships and earned a first team all-conference award to boot. She can now add NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championship Qualifier in the high jump to that list of accomplishments.
Powel-Qualo has qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championships with a mark of 1.70 meters (5'7") that she accomplished while winning the Truman State Twilight Meet on April 22, 2021. The height is currently tied for the eighth best mark in the country. The top 16 marks including anyone tied for the 16th best mark are invited to the national meet. This years field is set at 19 competitors in the high jump looking for a national championship. She now holds the record for the high jump in the Westminster record books breaking the 38 year old outdoor record set by Marguerite Donovan who jumped 5'5 3/4" back in 1983.
Blue Jay head track and field coach Will Crocker had this to say about Avylina's season, "She has excelled this season despite getting a later start than normal. The compression of the seasons due to the pandemic and the great run the women's basketball team made prevented her from participating in earlier meets. We are excited to ride the momentum that Avylina's performances have created into the national championships. We have our sights set on competing for NCAA Division III All-American status this weekend."
Powel-Qualo is set to compete in Greensboro, North Carolina. The national meet will be hosted by North Carolina A & T State University and the Greensboro Sports Foundation. She is scheduled to jump on Friday May 28, 2021 with the competition slated to begin at 11:30 a.m.
