UNC track athlete Rachel Stevens ready to add to history

Rachel Stevens may not have initially planned on coming to the University of Northern Colorado, but she’s certainly glad she did.

The UNC track team is even happier to have her.

Stevens, a transfer this season from Wichita State, has done something that no other female athlete has done since the Bears moved to Division I. She qualified in the high jump for the NCAA Midwest Regionals, which begin today and conclude Saturday in Lincoln, Neb.

Not only did she become the first female track athlete to become a Big Sky Conference champion with a jump of 5 feet, 83?4 inches, but she also became the first female athlete in the school’s history to advance to an NCAA Division I postseason event other than the conference championships.

Despite her place in history, it hasn’t all quite sunk in yet for Stevens, a junior.

“I am excited, but I guess I haven’t even thought about that yet,” Stevens said.

Stevens came out of McPherson High School in McPherson, Kan., where she was a three-time state champion in the high jump. She earned a scholarship to Wichita State, but because of her interest in UNC’s audiology program, she decided to transfer and join the Bears squad after two seasons with the Shockers.

“I just felt like I was really connected to this program and all my teammates were so wonderful and welcoming,” Stevens said.

Although UNC track coach Kevin Galbraith admitted there was “a little luck” in getting Stevens, he was not surprised by her success after watching her at Wichita State.

“It is never a guarantee, but we knew that she would be right in there contending to win the conference,” Galbraith said. “You never know until you do it, but we knew she had the ability.”

Stevens started competing in track in the third grade and took to the high jump right away. That may be because her father, Jim, was a former high jumper and her mother, Sharon, was a track athlete with speed.

Her dad helped coach her in high school, teaching her the techniques for the foundation for her success.

“If my approach was off and I was stepping out of my curve, he’d bring out a garden hose and lay it down so I couldn’t step out of my curve,” Stevens said. “He worked a lot with me growing up with high jump, so I think that is part of the reason I have stuck with high jump, too, because he is so supportive.”

After an outstanding freshman season at Wichita State in which she qualified for conference in both indoor and outdoor track, Stevens bruised the bone right above her heel in her jumping foot that caused her to miss nearly the entire season last year.

MORE INFORMATION

What: NCAA Midwest Regional Championship track
When: Today-Saturday
Where: Ed Weir Stadium, Lincoln, Neb.
UNC competitors: Terrence McGaughy: 100 meters, 3:40 p.m., today (prelims); 5:10 p.m., Saturday (finals); 200 meters, 6:20 p.m., today (prelims); 6:05 p.m., Saturday (finals) ... Rachel Stevens: High jump, 1 p.m., Saturday.

It gave her some trouble at the beginning of this season, but she is healthy now just at the perfect time.

“I am really glad I came into this program (at UNC),” Stevens said. “They do a really good job of preparing your body to face the minor pains you may face.”

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UNC track athlete Rachel Stevens ready to add to history

Matt Schuman