By EMILY LOOF
Saint Mary's Sports Information Intern
 
WINONA, Minn. — Less than a year after she attempted the triple jump for the very first time, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota's Becca Dup (Albert Lea, Minn.) is competing on the national stage—in that very event.
 
"I feel nervous," admitted Dup, who will be going head-to-head with the nation's best when she competes in Saturday's triple jump at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Birmingham, Ala. "But I also feel very prepared to compete at the national championships—even though I'm new to the event."
 
Dup blew away the competition last month at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Championships—nabbing first-place honors in both the long jump and the triple jump, where she equaled her school record with a leap of 11.74 meters, and earned both the Outstanding Women's Field Athlete of the Meet and Outstanding Women's Performance of the Meet honors.
 
Dup will be no stranger to the national stage, having qualified for the NCAA Outdoor National Championships last May, where she placed 17th in the triple jump.
 
More remarkable than the accomplishment of qualifying for nationals twice, is the fact that Dup qualified in just her second meet attempting the triple jump event last year. Prior to last year's outdoor season, Dup had competed only in the sprints and the long jump.
 
Dup credits much of her success to head coach Niels Anderson: "Niels has really spent a lot of time working with me to improve my technical skills, as well as my confidence when competing," she said. "I was surprised that the big jump we needed for me to qualify for the national championships came so soon in the season (last year); however, Niels always reassures me that 'the big jumps are still coming.' "

Dup and Anderson approached last year's outdoor championships as a chance to get Dup exposure to the national stage. But their attitudes have changed this time around, as have Dup's aspirations for the championships.
 
"This time around, Niels and I are approaching this championship as a business trip," she said. "My biggest goal is to place in the top eight, which would make me an All-American."
 
Above all, Dup wants to stress how grateful she is for all the support she has received from the Saint Mary's community.
 
"I am just so thankful and appreciative for all of the support from all coaches, staff, teammates, professors, Brother William, and everyone who is encouraging me," she said.
 
Dup will be competing at 2 p.m. CST Saturday. A live stream of the event can be found here: Live Results | Live Video