Wyoming senior Shayla Howell, the Mountain West Conference Indoor women's long jump champion and program record holder at 21-4.75 (6.52m), joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss becoming the first female athlete in program history to qualify to compete in the event at the NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships on March 11 at the CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala. Howell, who also ran a personal-best 7.50 in the 60-meter dash at the conference final Feb. 26 at the Albuquerque Convention Center in New Mexico, revisits surpassing the 21-foot barrier for the first time in her career in the sixth round, elevating her into the top 10 among Division 1 competitors this season and securing her berth at the national championship meet. She revisits being a freshman in 2019 and qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 4x100-meter relay in Austin, Texas, and how that experience helped provide added motivation for Howell to compete at the Division 1 indoor finals during her career. Howell also speaks about having veteran teammates Ja'la Henderson and Jerayah Davis as part of that relay, in addition to both of them being accomplished jumpers, and how they represented the program at the national level. She speaks about the struggles to find motivation during the pandemic and how she nearly didn't return to compete in track and field, but relied on her strong faith, perseverance and resilience to help her rediscover the joy and passion in the sport once again. Howell, the 2018 Gatorade Female Track and Field Athlete of the Year in South Dakota representing Belle Fourche High, also shares about how valuable her time on the ranch was away from the track, and the family connection to rodeo, which she plans to pursue professionally with her fiance and three-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier Brenten Hall following her graduation in the spring with a degree in business marketing. She also shares how instrumental Wyoming jumps coach Quincy Howe has been during her career and how grateful Howell has been for his support and guidance, along with her teammates and family.