GENEVA, Ohio – Usually, if you are up first, it is difficult to calm your nerves. Being one of the first events at the 2025 NCAA Div. III National Outdoor Track and Field Championships did not bother senior Yasmin Ruff of the No. 3 women's team.

The now two-time NCAA Outdoor Pole Vault national champion defended her title, which she claimed a year ago, with a final successful clearance of 4.05m. Ruff easily cleared the first three heights at 3.60m, 3.75m, and 3.85m. At both 3.95m and 4.00m, she got over the bar on her second attempt at each.

Heading into 4.05m, she was one of three remaining competitors. Ruff got the clearance on her first attempt while her opponents could not clear the height, allowing her to successfully claim the national title.

This marks the third pole vault title in a row for Ruff, who not only claimed the 2024 and 2025 outdoor titles, but she also took home the 2025 indoor title earlier this year. With the win, WashU earns 10 team points as it looks to defend its team national title.

In the other events of the day, the WashU 4x100 relay team qualified for the finals on Saturday, May 24, after finishing in fifth place with a time of 46.44. The relay team consisted of senior Lauren Gay, junior Kylie Spytek, senior Nicole Stewart, and junior Jasmine Wright.

Graduate Ebun Opata competed in long jump, one of three events she qualified for. She finished just outside point-scoring in 11th place with a distance of 5.72m.

In the 200m prelims, Gay finished in 17th place with a time of 24.73. There was less than half a second separating 9th place, the last to qualify, and 21st, the final place in the prelims.

Senior sisters Julia Patterson and Abby Patterson finished the prelims of the steeplechase in 20th and 21st place with times of 11:14.39 and 11:19.41, respectively.

In the 4x400 prelims, the WashU team of Spytek, sophomore Caroline Echols, sophomore Julia Coric, and sophomore Cate Christopher finished with a season-best time of 3:45.57, qualifying for the final in second place.

Over on the men's side for the No. 20 men's team, the lone event for the Bears was the prelims for the men's 1500m. Junior James Corbett finished in sixth place, qualifying for the finals with a time of 3:52.14.

Day 2 of the championships on Friday will feature Bears in the women's high jump, women's shot put, women's 400m prelims, women's 100m prelims, and the women's 800m prelims.