Emporia, KS – Fayetteville State University track and field standout M'Smrya Seward finished fifth in the long jump at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championship on Thursday evening at the Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas.

Shea Seward entered the championship meet held at Emporia State University with a personal best leap of 6.30 meters (20' 8").

A participant in the second flight of the national competition, Seward opened with a jump of 5.97m (19' 7") for sixth place. She extended her mark by a half inch (5.98m) on the second attempt. Improving with each try, Shea covered a distance of 6.16m (20' 2 ½") to close out the preliminaries.

M'Smrya Seward fouled on her first two jumps of the finals but went 6.17 meters (20' 3") on the final attempt to secure a podium finish.

All-American status is bestowed to the top eight finishers of a final. Shea Seward earned her first NCAA All-American status in 2020 by finishing second in the long jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championship. Her second came in 2023 when she finished fifth at the Indoor National Championship. Later that year [2023], M'Smrya returned to the Outdoor Nationals and placed fourth.

The national meet marks a historic journey for Seward as she closes the book on her collegiate career. Through the years, her best field event performances are 59' 5 ¾" in the triple jump, 5' 7" in the high jump, and 20' 8" in the long jump. During her indoor seasons, Shea ran 7.83 seconds in the 60 meters, 26.32 seconds in the 200m, and 43.55 seconds in the 300m.

M'Smrya, a native of Youngsville, NC, is now a four-time NCAA DII All-American. She has been honored as the CIAA Indoor Field Athlete of the Year twice and once for the outdoor seasons. She has also received the Field MVP award twice for Indoor Championships and Outdoor Championships. Seward has a conference count of 13 top-three medal finishes, nine of which are gold.

Shea Seward is a member of seven CIAA Championship teams between the indoor and outdoor programs.