Q&A Session with Princeton's Women's Track & Field Outdoor National Qualifiers

PRINCETON, NJ - The Princeton women's track and field qualifiers for the 2024 NCAA Outdoor National Championships in Eugene, Oregon sat down before next week's competition for a quick Q&A session.

They were asked the following questions:

What are your emotions as you look forward to the upcoming week? Could you share your excitement?
How are you preparing for the event? What is your routine on the day of the competition?
What successful aspects from Regionals are you planning to build upon?
Have you had any previous experience with the Oregon track?
What goals have you set for this competition?

Below were their responses.

Tessa Mudd - Pole Vault

In the upcoming week, I'm really excited to soak up the experience and environment of attending a national competition. As this is my second national event of the year, I believe I'm in a unique position to use the experience I gained from Indoor Nationals to benefit my mindset and help me reach my goals. Competing and training in a venue with such amazing athletes is a phenomenal opportunity and I want to use the competitive environment to push me to my best possible performance.
My training has not changed much since the beginning of the year; however, we have been focusing on perfecting the new cues I've been using in my vault. On competition day, I like to wake up at least an hour before I need to leave. I typically start my day by watching a show (lately, Bridgerton has been my show of choice) and doing my hair and makeup before heading down to breakfast. I find that watching something as I prepare keeps my mind off the stressful parts of the competition and helps me stay focused and calm. After breakfast, I'll pack my bag, get dressed, and do any last-minute touchups before heading to the track to warm up. I typically keep my night before and morning routine pretty similar at every competition as I find it ensures no issues arise the morning of and that I'm able to keep the day as low-stress as possible. Once at the track, I listen to my playlist during warmups before heading out to the pits to start my on-runway warmup. During this time, I also enjoy journaling and using visualization to walk through my jumps and the competition. Preparing in this way allows me to work through what difficulties I may face throughout the competition, review my goals, and the steps I need to take in my on-runway warmups and the competition to ensure a good meet.
Regionals was arguably one of my most consistent meets of the year, and I hope to carry the momentum from the meet into nationals. In the regional and national meet, placements can often come down to makes and misses. Having confidence in my ability and being able to trust the pole I'm using on any given jump will allow me to have a smooth meet with (hopefully!) few misses. Additionally, at regionals, I had a lot of confidence on the runway, but I also had fun and enjoyed jumping with my competitors. While high-level meets can be stressful, I find that when you allow yourself to have fun and enjoy the process, you often get better results. I hope to carry this mindset into the national meet and allow myself to be focused and competitive but also to enjoy and live in the moment.
I have not, but I have always wanted to compete at Hayward, and I'm excited to experience the Outdoor National meet and "Hayward Magic" for the first time!
While I certainly have hopes for my performance, I think my main aim is simply to have fun and compete to the best of my ability. If I am able to do so, I know I will be happy with the outcome of the competition. I don't typically put specific numbers to my goals, but if I had to set one, I would hope to place higher than my indoor performance (13th). Any sort of PR or podium placement (top 8) would be the cherry on top of a fantastic season.

Shea Greene - Javelin

Looking forward to the competition, I feel nothing short of thrilled. Not only am I excited to compete against the best athletes in the NCAA, I am excited to watch my teammates do the same in their respective events. This will be the first appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships for all five of us; I am particularly looking forward to sharing the experience with 4 of my best friends.
In preparation for this competition, I've been staying consistent with my training, rehab, nutrition, and sleep. On the day of the meet, I like to do an early shake-out, have a good breakfast, and turn on a playlist.
Coming off of a four-meter personal best from Regionals, I am focused on being disciplined with my technique and trusting my preparations. I am hoping that Siniru and I can continue building off each other and bringing home big marks for the Princetonthrows group.
I have been to Oregon twice! My first time at the facility was to compete at high school outdoor nationals in 2021 and last summer to compete at the US U20 Championships.
For this competition and all other competitions, my goal is to have fun and be consistent.

Georgina Scoot - Triple Jump

So incredibly excited!! The opportunity to not only have made nationals but to make it with my team mates and best friends is such an amazing opportunity. Last year I did not even make regionals so I am so incredibly grateful this year to have reached the NCAA finals.
We have tried to keep training consistent with what we were doing in the regular season. Alex and I train together and our coach always jokes that there is no need to change anything up as what we have been doing got us to where we are! The day of competition I like to just keep a normal routine. For the regional round of Triple jump I didn't compete until the evening so I woke up late, went to the grocery store with my friends and tried to keep my mind occupied.
Regionals showed me how at championship meets, anything can happen! I am going to take the experience in dealing with nerves and performing at a high stage with me both at nationals and in future life
No, I have never been further west than Kentucky.
I would love to become an all American and see my team mates compete to the best of their ability and have so much fun.

Alexandra Kelly - Long Jump

I can't wait for my first NCAA Nationals experience. After a long indoor and outdoor season, it's so exciting to have a group of women (and my closest friends) all traveling together to compete at the highest collegiate level. Competing at this meet has always been a dream of mine, and I can't believe I'll be there myself instead of watching it on my TV.
I'll be preparing for this meet the same I would any other meet, but it'll be a challenge to balance that with my excitement and nerves. I'm lucky to have my coaches and a great group of teammates to support me, and I can't wait to be there for them as well!
I felt that my composure during the regional meet was a key aspect that contributed to my success. My experience at last year's regional meet definitely prepared me for what the stressful environment would be like, and how to handle it. And of course, having my teammate Georgie by my side during the jumping events always makes it more fun and less stressful!
This past summer, I competed at the USA u20 championship in Oregon. While this meet didn't go as planned performance-wise, I cherish it as a lesson and a really great introduction to Hayward Field, and I feel so much more confident now heading back out to such a big stage. Coach Jones and I also now know all the good food spots to return to!!
My goal for this competition is to put out a series of jumps that I'm proud of, and to have a fun learning experience of what an NCAA championship is like. I'll be competing against a field of insanely talented women whose performances have always inspired me, and it'll be really cool to learn from them and challenge myself.

Siniru Iheoma - Discus Throw

I feel ecstatic and just lucky to still be practicing with the team. I wasn't sure if I was gonna be able to stay here with everyone for this long but it feels so good. I didn't realize how badly I didn't want to go home yet. The group we are bringing to nationals outside of me is all underclassmen. This just makes me so excited for next week and for what is to come in the future.
Just getting in consistent quality throws and honing my technique down. Making sure I'm eating right and getting enough sleep and focusing on recovery to be in the best shape for competition. Day of competition is looking like a good breakfast, a shake out and some stretches to get my body warmed up, and if I have time to watch a show to get my mind off of any nerves I may be feeling at the moment, then execute.
You only get 3 throws to try and make it into the top 12, and my 3 throws I did at regionals were the 3 best throws I have done all season. Each throw was a meter or 2 farther than the last one. I hope to build off of that by staying as consistent as I was and to have another big PR!
I have come here for high school New Balance Nationals and USATF 20 National Championships. I threw a 4-meter PR to win and represent Team USA in the U20 World Championships! There I got to meet and talk to the top USA athletes in the world, an experience I will never forget.
My goal is to compete. I usually do my best competing when I am under pressure. I feel I'm a great competitor and my goal is to make it to the finals and become first team All-American. I also want to enjoy the opportunity to be in the atmosphere of the top collegiate athletes. It's gonna be amazing.

Competition in Eugene will begin on Thursday for the women.

Thursday, June 6th

9:00 PM (ET) - Pole Vault (Tessa Mudd)
9:45 PM (ET) - Javelin (Shea Greene)
10:00 PM (ET) - Long Jump (Alexandra Kelly)

Saturday, June 8th

5:05 PM (ET) - Discus (Siniru Iheoma)
5:50 PM (ET) - Triple Jump (Georgina Scoot)

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