Saint Lucia’s Jenneil Jacobie is the first athlete from East Texas A&M University to qualify for an NCAA National Championships event in the Division I era. The junior from Grande Rivière, Gros Islet, is among the 16 qualifiers in women’s high jump for the 2026 NCAA Division I Indoor National Championships.
Jacobie, who cleared a school and Southland Conference record 1.87m in her event earlier this season, is the only competitor from outside of the Power Four conferences in the field. The Southland Conference champion in the high jump last week, the pre-med student is the first Lion in any sport to be selected to an NCAA National Championships event in the Division I era. She is one of just two Southland Conference student-athletes competing at this year’s Indoor National Championships.
Jacobie will likely need to replicate or improve on her personal-best mark to earn All-American honours or contend for a medal on March 14. Her season-best mark is 10th among the 16 competitors. The top eight finishers will be named All-Americans.
Jeanelle Scheper, competing for the University of South Carolina, is the only NCAA Division I field event gold medallist from Saint Lucia. She won the high jump in 2015. Dane Magloire won the Division II triple jump for Lincoln University, and Levern Spencer won the women’s high jump for Albany State University.
The 2026 NCAA Division I Indoor National Championships are hosted by the University of Arkansas on March 13-14 at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville. The women’s high jump event is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. on March 14.
