EUGENE, Oregon – Junior Zharia Taylor tied for 16th in the women's high jump in her first career NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championship appearance Saturday at Hayward Field.
 
Taylor had a great start to the meet, easily clearing 1.74 meters (5-8.5) on her first try. She then got over the bar at 1.79m (5-10.5) on her second attempt. With the height raised to 1.84m (6-1.5), which would have been a 1.5-inch personal best, Taylor was unable to get a clean jump to tie for 16th.
 
Taylor closes out a remarkable season with second-team All-America honors. On the women's side, she is the first Anteater to advance to nationals since 2009 and the first to earn All-America honors since 1997.
 
Taylor punched her ticket to the NCAA Championships after tying for ninth with a personal-record 1.81m (5-11.25) at the NCAA West First Round in College Station, Texas, on May 31. She was also the Big West runner-up in the high jump, helping the 'Eaters win the program's first Big West Women's Track & Field Championship.
 
This was Taylor's first season at UCI after transferring from Cerritos College where she was a junior college All-American in the high jump and heptathlon.