PULLMAN, Wash. — For the first time in 21 years, the Washington State University track and field team has a real shot at an outdoor track national championship in the women's 100 meter hurdles.
Ecuadorian Maribel Caicedo will head to Eugene as one of the favorites to bring home the national title.
Caicedo first took to the track in 2009 and began her running career as a sprinter and jumper. Her coach introduced her to hurdles and Caicedo eventually qualified for the 2015 youth world championships in both the 100 meters and the 100 meter hurdles.
"My coach believed we had a better chance in the hurdles, so she chose me to compete in hurdles and I have been doing it ever since and getting better and better every year," Caicedo said.
In those 2015 world championships, Caicedo became the first Ecuadorian to ever win a gold medal in the 100 meter hurdles.
"When I won, I did not feel anything, but I started feeling it after two years, so it is kind of funny that happened to me," Caicedo said.
In 2017, Caicedo came to the United States to train at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida and began learning English. In 2018, Caicedo committed to UTEP.
After a four year career at UTEP, Caicedo entered the transfer portal and committed to WSU to train with Cougars' star hurdler Micaela De Mello.
"I came because of Micaela. She can push me everyday in every practice, when we practice together, we want to win over each other so it is kind of fun," Caicedo said.
"You are putting yourself against someone that you are going to see in a meet now in practice, but I think they have really worked well together and their strengths and weaknesses are typically the opposite. I think they have become more complete hurdlers because of each other," WSU director of track and field Wayne Phipps said.
After an injury last track season granted her an extra year of eligibility, Caicedo has had a record breaking track season this season.
She has shattered the WSU record, the South American record and her own Ecuadorian record as well as several facility records in the 100 meter hurdles. She ran a personal best 12.49 seconds in the first round of the Pac-12 Championships and qualified to run for Ecuador in the upcoming Paris Olympic games.
"When I saw the time, I was like, 'Oh my God that is crazy!' I remember that day I was so tired because of the altitude, but during the race when I was running, I was running faster and faster and when I saw the time, I was like, 'Wow!'" Caicedo said.
"Right now, she is the sixth fastest hurdler in the entire world. Her run is almost biomechanically perfect in between, so she does not need to change anything and a lot of her success has come from her hard work, but also her belief in herself," Phipps said.
After winning the West region, Caicedo will now head to Eugene as the odds on favorite and will race in the national semifinal on Thursday to try and secure her spot in the national championship final race on Saturday.
"Oh my gosh, it would be amazing [to win a national championship]! I am really excited and I think I can do it, to be honest and we are ready for it," Caicedo said.
Caicedo will look to become the first WSU female athlete since high jumper Whitney Evans in 2003, to win an outdoor national championship.
She begins her quest on Thursday night in the first heat of the 100 meter hurdles semifinal in lane five at 6:32 pm. You can catch her race on ESPN2.
De Mello will run in the second heat immediately following Caicedo's heat as she too hopes to race in the national championship final.
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