The day started with McMullen securing a third-place finish in the 60m hurdles. However, she faced a setback, slipping to sixth place after an eighth-place finish in the high jump, where she cleared 1.68m. A strong performance in the shot put, with a toss of 11.64m, propelled her to third place, but subsequent throws from her competition pushed her back to seventh. The tide turned in her favor again as she clinched first place in the long jump, elevating her to fifth overall. The pentathlon concluded with McMullen finishing sixth in the 800, for a fifth place finish overall.
" She had a full house of family and friends supporting her at the venue today and our Buff nation following along at home. We absolutely could feel the support and all share in the joy of watching one of our most decorated Buffs performing at her absolute best." said Coach Malone
Qualifying for this event requires athletes to meet stringent criteria, including achieving a qualifying mark that typically ranks among the best in the nation, if not the world. Additionally, participants must be a U.S. citizens.Twelve athletes took park in the event, Saginaw Valley State Cheyenne Nesbitt of Saginaw Valley State took the victory recording 4,475 points.
" As one of the few collegiate competitors competing against a field of professionals and an Olympian, Avery not only stood her ground, she had had a ground breaking performance:" said coach Malone. " Avery is a true competitor and it has truly been an honor to be her coach over the past 5 years. She has earned her spot on the national stage and again today, she proved how worthy she is of competing amongst the nations best."
Looking ahead, McMullen now embarks on a five-week training block before competing at the NCAA Championships scheduled for March 8-9. She currently holds the third position in the NCAA rankings, with the top 16 athletes earning invitations to the NCAA Championships.
