Pride of 2019: Fatima St. Hilaire Earns Spot at NCAA Championships

WESTON, Mass. – Fatima St. Hilaire (Dorchester, Mass.) entered her senior season with the Regis College track and field team after earning both GNAC Women's Track Athlete of the Year and GNAC Women's Field Athlete of the Year honors in leading the Pride to the 2018 GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship.

There was one overriding goal for St. Hilaire as she decided to complete her career in the 2019 outdoor season: qualifying for the NCAA Championships.

At the Tufts Snowflake Classic March 30, St. Hilaire broke the school record in the 100 meter dash with a time of 12.78 seconds, plus she qualified for the Division III New England Championships in that event as well as in the long jump, winning that competition with a mark of 5.53 meters (18' 1.75"). The following Monday, she was named GNAC Track and Field Female Athlete of the Week.

On April 5, St. Hilaire further lowered the 100 meter dash school record time, posting a mark of 12.76 seconds at the Regis Spring Classic, plus she won the long jump with a distance of 5.34 meters (17' 6.25"). Once again, that performance was followed by the weekly GNAC award.

She continued to improve upon her record time in the 100 meter dash, finishing fourth in the preliminaries at the Penmen Relays April 13 with a time of 12.68 seconds. In addition, she broke her own school record in the long jump, winning that event with a mark of 5.74 meters (18' 10"), and won her heat of the 200 meter dash in 27.56 seconds. Again, St. Hilaire was named GNAC Track and Field Female Athlete of the Week.

At the ECSU Invitational April 19, St. Hilaire again broke the 100 meter dash school record with a time of 12.31 seconds as well as the 200 meter dash record with a mark of 27.11 seconds. She also won the long jump with a mark of 5.63 meters (18' 5.75") and the triple jump with a top effort of 11.14 meters (36' 6.75"). The fourth straight week with at least one record performance resulted in St. Hilaire's fourth straight GNAC weekly award.

At the GNAC Championships, St. Hilaire won four individual conference titles, two on the track and two in the jumping events. After posting the fastest preliminary time among GNAC competitors in the 100 meter dash at 12.46 seconds, she finished first in the league in the final at 12.57 seconds. St. Hilaire also led a strong Pride showing in the 200 meter dash, finishing first in 27.72 seconds.

The senior won the long jump with a top mark of 5.52 meters (18' 1.5"), and then she finished atop the triple jump standings by almost one full meter with a top leap of 11.52 meters (37' 9.5"), breaking her own school record by 0.04 meters. Those efforts led to her second consecutive GNAC Women's Field Athlete of the Year award and helped the Pride women's track and field team win its second straight conference title.

After another record-setting performance in the triple jump with a new school-record mark of 11.64 meters (38' 2.25") at the Division III New England Outdoor Track and Field Championships, St. Hilaire received official notification of her qualification for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the long jump thanks to her mark of 5.74 meters at the Penmen Relays.

Placed in the first of two preliminary flights at the NCAA Championships May 23, St. Hilaire started with a jump of 4.97 meters (16' 3.75") before improving on her second attempt to a mark of 5.72 meters (18' 9.25"), just 0.02 meters off her personal best and school record. After a third attempt measuring 5.54 meters (18' 2.25"), she was second overall after the first flight.

St. Hilaire waited as the remaining 11 competitors took their three attempts in the second flight. At the conclusion of the preliminaries, her top jump of 5.72 meters put her in ninth place, good enough to advance to the finals and receive three more attempts. She was one of just two jumpers from the first flight to advance into the finals.

Her best mark of the finals came on her first attempt, which was also the first attempt of the finals overall. St. Hilaire posted a mark of 5.67 meters (18' 7.25"), followed by a low mark on her next attempt. Her final attempt of the meet measured 5.55 meters (18' 2.5"), her fourth jump over 18 feet of the competition.

St. Hilaire graduated in May and left Regis College with three indoor school records (55 meter dash, 60 meter dash, long jump) and six outdoor school records (100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, long jump, triple jump, 4x100 meter relay, 4x400 meter relay).