Saint Mary's Newsroom

By Donny Nadeau
Saint Mary’s Sports Information Director

LA CROSSE, Wis. — It may have been her third appearance at the NCAA Division III national championships, but Thursday afternoon was Becca Dup’s (Albert Lea, Minn.) first go-around in the long jump.

And the Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota junior’s showing was no rookie performance.

Dup—who competed in the triple jump at both the 2017 outdoor and 2018 indoor national championships—put together a leap of 5.62 meters in her first attempt en route to an 11th-place finish.

“I’m happy with my performance,” said Dup. “The conditions were a little tough with the warm weather and wind—you didn’t really know how much that would affect your jump—but I came in seeded 15th and moved up four spots to 11th, so I’m very happy with that.”

Dup entered Thursday’s long jump competition with the 15th-longest mark, a school-record 5.74 meters—and nearly matched that mark in her first attempt, uncorking a leap of 5.62 meters that left her third through her three jumps in the first of two flights.

Dakota Buhler of George Fox posted the best leap of the first flight at 5.85 meters, with Texas Lutheran’s Cortnee Priour second at 5.73 meters.

Unfortunately, the second flight boasted eight of the day’s top 10 jumps—including a 6.05-meter monster by eventual national champion Amelia Glueck of Illinois Wesleyan—pushing Dup down to 11th, and keeping her from a spot in the finals.

Dup, who owns the ninth-best triple jump performance (11.83 meters) this season, will close out her third national championships on Saturday. First flight in the triple jump will begin at 11 a.m. at UW-La Crosse’s Roger Harring Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex.

“I’m treating (the long jump) as a warm-up for the triple jump,” said Dup. “Every time I’ve been at nationals, I have improved on my seed—and I’m seeded ninth in the triple jump—so if I can continue that trend and just move up one place, I’ll reach that Top 8 All-American status I’m shooting for.”

Read more about Dup’s journey to nationals . 

By Donny Nadeau
Saint Mary’s Sports Information Director

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University track athlete Becca Dup may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound like Superman, but she certainly can leap past her fellow competitors in a single — or sometimes triple — jump.

By day, Dup may seem like your average psychology student. But, on the track, her alter ego strikes fear into the hearts of competitors throughout the nation.

This weekend, the mild-mannered Dup will call upon that alter ego to propel her to greatness, as “Super Duper” — sans cape — makes her third straight national championship appearance, taking part in the NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championships at UW-La Crosse’s Veterans Memorial Stadium.

But this year, the junior Cardinal athlete will need to call upon all of her super powers, as she will be competing in not one, but two events on the nation’s biggest stage.

“Qualifying in both the long jump and the triple jump makes this year’s NCAAs even sweeter,” said Dup, the reigning MIAC outdoor triple jump champion — not to mention the 2018 conference title-holder in both the indoor long and triple jumps. “I’m driven to go out there and do my best. That’s all I can really ask of myself.”

Dup has overcome many obstacles in her life.

Although she grew up in Albert Lea, Minn., her family — mother, father, and two older sisters —escaped on foot from South Sudan in East Africa when war broke out. After spending time in a refugee camp, the Dup family came to the United States, where Becca (born Nyakume Dup) was born.

“It was difficult growing up bi-culturally, because when I went to school it was English and American culture, but when I went home, it was my native language and South Sudanese culture,” admitted Dup. “Growing up, it was like living two different lifestyles. The most difficult part of being a Sudanese-American athlete is trying to explain to my parents what exactly being an ‘athlete’ is because sports were never a part of their culture.”

While her parents may struggle to understand what an athlete is, Dup’s uncanny leaping abilities, not to mention her prowess on the soccer field, have left little doubt that she is a skilled athlete.

Dup originally came to Saint Mary’s to play soccer and had never even competed in either the long or triple jump before in her life. That all changed, however, when Dup met Saint Mary’s track and field coach Niels Anderson during the fall of her freshman year.

“Coach (Neil) Cassidy recruited me to come to Saint Mary’s to play soccer,” said Dup, who owns 11 goals, 8 assists and 30 points in 48 games during her three years as a member of the Cardinal women’s soccer team. “Track came into the picture as soon as I met Niels. Right away he told me what he thought my potential could be as a track athlete, and specifically, as a jumper.

“He told me I could be a national qualifier in the long jump. I thought he was crazy, because I had never even jumped before.”

Anderson was far from crazy.

In fact, he is proving to be a real-life psychic.

After finishing sixth in the long jump at her first conference indoor meet, and scratching on all three of her attempts at the MIAC outdoor championships, Dup hit her stride — so to speak —and her jumping career really began to take flight.

Over the past two seasons, Dup has claimed five conference long and triple jump titles, is a four-time USTFCCCA All-Region selection, and heads into this weekend with the eighth-best triple jump performance (11.83 meters) and the 15th-best long jump effort (5.74 meters) —both school records.

All this from an athlete who had NEVER competed in either event prior to arriving at Saint Mary’s.

“I had never even watched the events before,” Dup said. “I was always just the fastest runner at school, so they made me a sprinter. But Niels saw something in me and believed that with my natural talent, I could do great things as a jumper, so we worked hard at it, and that hard work has really paid off.”

Now that’s an understatement.

With a pair of national championships under her belt — a 17th-place showing in the triple jump at the 2017 outdoor championships, and a ninth-place effort in the triple jump at the 2018 indoor championships — Dup is determined to continue to climb up the podium steps.

A finish of eighth place or higher, and the All-American honor that goes with it, is Dup’s No. 1 focus.

“Placing ninth and missing All-American by one place finish at my second NCAA appearance was the kind of heartbreak I needed to drive me this time around,” said Dup. “Although placing ninth in the nation is incredible, it motivates me to be better and, hopefully, move up into that Top 8 this time around.

“Knowing that I was so close is what pushes me everyday.”