SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Sophomore Ashley Sheldon is heading back to the national championships for the second straight year, as she was selected to compete in the high jump at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the NCAA announced on Friday evening.
 
Sheldon is one of 22 student-athletes to qualify for the national championship in the high jump, making her only the third Union women's outdoor track and field athlete to be selected for the national meet. Noemie Bechu '17 twice qualified for the 400-meter dash during her sophomore and junior seasons in 2015-16, while Janice Glidden '85 made nationals in the heptathlon back in 1982.

Sheldon qualified for the meet with a program record-matching leap of 1.67 meters (5'5.75") at the Liberty League Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 3, winning her second conference title (and first outdoors) in two years. Her leap tied her for the 20th-best height in Division III this year, and she will be seeded in a tie for 19th at nationals. Allie Wildsmith of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy has the country's best leap so far this outdoor season, clearing 1.78 meters (5'10") in mid-April.

"We're so proud of all the hard work Ashley put in this year to get to this point," said head cross country and track & field coach Laura Nardelli. "She has battled through an ankle injury since her soccer season, and we finally decided to give her some time off over Spring Break to get her closer to full strength for the outdoor season. She's so much stronger and more confident now, and just in the last couple of weeks has shown that she's ready to hit some big marks."

In two years, Sheldon already owns the school record in the indoor and outdoor high jump as well as the outdoor 100-meter hurdles, the indoor 60-meter hurdles and the indoor triple jump. The three-season student-athlete also is a two-year starter on defense for the women's soccer team during the fall as well.

The 2025 NCAA Division III outdoor track and field championships run from Thursday, May 22 to Saturday, May 24 at the SPIRE Institute's Outdoor Track & Field facility in Geneva, Ohio. Sheldon will compete on Friday's second day of competition, with the women's high jump set to begin at 11:30 a.m.