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AUSTIN, Texas — Sophomore Baileh Simms punched her ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a 12th-place finish in the women's long jump, while senior Jasmine Woods broke the Portland State and Big Sky Conference records in the first round of the 100 meters as the Portland State women's track and field team opened competition at the NCAA West Preliminary meet Thursday at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
 
Simms' 12th-place finish in the long jump makes the sophomore just the sixth Viking to make the national meet, and the first since Joenisha Vinson qualified in the heptathlon in 2013.

"It is the desire of every coach to see the preparation of an athlete come to fruition at year's end. Baileh Simms is an incredibly gifted athlete that yearns for the highest level of competition. Today was her chance to show the best of the west that she was qualified to be on the runway. She is now on her way to nationals," head coach Ronnye Harrison said.
 
Simms had to sweat out her place at nationals, as she had to wait and see if her strong first jump of the day would hold up. Simms soared to 20-04.25 (6.20m) on her first attempt, ranking her fourth at the time, well within the top 12 that would advance to nationals.
 
However, things got interesting after that, as Simms cracked 20 feet again but did not improve on her second attempt of the day and dropped to ninth overall as other jumpers started to pass her. Simms then jumped 20-3.75 (6.19m) on her third attempt – an improvement over her second attempt, but still not better than her first – forcing the Vikings' two-time defending Big Sky champion in the outdoor long jump to sweat out the final attempts from the jumpers behind her.
 
In the end, Simms fell right where she needed to be to make the national meet, finishing 12th, just over an inch ahead of the final non-qualifier, Iowa's Jahisha Thomas at 20-03.00 (6.17m).
 
The qualification for nationals continues a strong postseason for Simms, as it follows her breakout performance at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships two weekends ago, when she won her second straight crown in the outdoor long jump with a Portland State-, championship- and Big Sky-record jump of 20-09.25 (6.33m).
 
Woods, meanwhile, had her own breakout performance come in the first round of the women's 100 meters at the NCAA West Preliminary meet Thursday. Woods finished the 100 in a Portland State- and Big Sky Conference-record time of 11.35 seconds, beating the previous school and conference record of 11.39 seconds, set by Viking sprinting legend Geronne Black at the 2012 NCAA West Regional. Additionally, Woods' time blew away her old personal best in the event by more than a quarter of a second, as it crushed the 11.62 she ran in the prelims of the 100 at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships two weekends ago.
 
Woods' time also led her to a third-place finish in her heat, automatically qualifying her for the quarterfinals of the 100 meters, which will take place Friday at 6:30 p.m. (CT). The top three from each heat in the quarterfinals will automatically advance to nationals, as well as the next three-best times.

"Jasmine Woods is an anomaly in every sense of the word," Harrison said after the race. "I have known from her first days at PSU that she possessed tremendous talent if I could get her to relinquish control and execute the plan designed for her. Today was a public display of what I've been waiting on for two years and it couldn't have shown up at a better time. She will now have a place in the Big Sky Conference record books, and who knows? Maybe a place at nationals. No matter, she's a very special individual."
 
Woods should have a strong chance at making nationals if she can repeat her breakout performance Thursday, as her time placed her 10th overall among all 100-meter competitors. If Woods does advance to the national meet, she'll be the first Viking to ever qualify in the 100 meters, and give the Vikings two national qualifiers in the same season for the first time in program history.
 
Fellow senior Camelia Mayfield attempted to give the Vikings a second national qualifier in the semifinals of the women's 10,000 meters Thursday night, but fell short at 28th overall in 36:11.57.
 
The Vikings continue at the NCAA West Preliminary meet Friday, and will get underway with the first round of the women's 100-meter hurdles at 5 p.m. (CT). Senior Jazmin Ratcliff and sophomore CeCelia Jackson will each run in the event for the Vikings.
 
NCAA Outdoor Championship Qualifiers
Women:
Baileh Simms – Long Jump
 
Big Sky Conference Records Broken
Women:
Jasmine Woods – 11.35 seconds in the 100 meters (Previous Record: Geronne Black, 11.39 seconds in 2012)
 
Portland State Records Broken
Women:
Jasmine Woods – 11.35 seconds in the 100 meters (Previous Record: Geronne Black, 11.39 seconds in 2012)
 
NCAA West Preliminary
Mike A. Myers Stadium
Austin, Texas
May 28, 2015
 
Women's Results:
100m (1st Round): 10. Jasmine Woods, 11.35. 10,000m (Semifinals): 28. Camelia Mayfield, 36:11.57. Long Jump (1st Round): 12. Baileh Simms, 20-04.25 (6.20m).