Jaiah Hopf Soars to Long Jump Crown at Badger Invite

Friday, February 6

Chicago, Ill.

DePaul University

Badger Windy City Invitational

Jaiah Hopf Soars to Long Jump Crown at Badger Invite

2/6/2026 8:33:00 PM | TRACK AND FIELD

Blue Demons open at Gately with jumps victory, top-five finishes

CHICAGO – Led by a long jump victory from senior standout Jaiah Hopf, DePaul track and field turned in a strong opening day at the Badger Windy City Invitational on Friday, as the Blue Demons collected an event title, podium finishes in the field, and multiple personal/season bests at Gately Indoor.

The women's field group set the tone, highlighted by Hopf's 6.02m winning mark in the long jump invite as she continued her strong form in the horizontal jumps. In the vertical events, Katelyn Welsh added another podium finish to her season, clearing 3.65m in the pole vault to take third.

Across the women's track events, DePaul stacked quality results from the sprints through the middle distance. Sade Miller led the way in the 60m prelims with a ninth-place 7.52, while Nadja Moll turned in another top-10 at Gately with an eighth-place 56.24 in the 400m. In the 800m invite, Isabella Orozco anchored the women's track effort, placing second in 2:09.72 against a deep field.

Personal-best efforts headlined the rest of the women's track performances. In the 60m hurdles prelims, Aisha Kazeem (10th, 8.53q) and Amy Carhee (12th, 8.58q) both clocked PRs while advancing from prelims, and Trixie Johnson added another lifetime best with a ninth-place 1:39.56 in the 600m to continue her upward indoor trajectory.

On the men's side, the Blue Demons were paced by a strong showing in the 400m. Denhm Holt recorded a season-best 47.85 to finish second, and Daniel Fasasi followed in the 400m invite, taking fourth in 46.89 for another top-five performance one week removed from his nationally ranked run. Sprinter Demetrius Rolle headlined DePaul's short sprint crew, clocking 6.76 in the 60m prelims to place ninth and underscore the Blue Demons' depth in the event.

In the men's field events, DePaul's throwers and jumpers closed day one with solid scoring opportunities. Quinton Boyd placed eighth in the weight throw invite with a 16.25m effort, while Jaiden Gary delivered a season-best 17.30m to take seventh in the shot put invite. In the horizontal jumps, Angel Escamilla added a fifth-place 6.51m mark in the long jump.

DePaul returns to action on Saturday for day two of the Badger Windy City Invitational, as the Blue Demons continue preparations for the upcoming conference championships.

Badger Windy City Invitational - Day One
Gately Indoor - Chicago, Ill.
Friday, Feb. 6

Men's Track and Field
Weight Throw Invite: 8. Quinton Boyd - 16.25m
Long Jump: 5. Angel Escamilla - 6.51m
Shot Put Invite: 7. Jaiden Gary - 17.30m (SB)
60m Prelims: 9. Demetrius Rolle - 6.76, 17. Christian Ortiz-Velazquez - 6.90, 18. Caleb Schulz - 6.91, 21. Alex Long-Craine - 6.93
400m: 2. Denhm Holt - 47.85 (SB)
400m Invite: 4. Daniel Fasasi - 46.89

Women's Track and Field
Long Jump: 11. Asha Pierre-Antoine - 5.14m
Pole Vault: 3. Katelyn Welsh - 3.65m
Long Jump Invite: 1. Jaiah Hopf - 6.02m
60m Prelims: 9. Sade Miller - 7.52, 28. Nevaeh Lowe - 7.69
600m: 9. Trixie Johnson - 1:39.56 (PR)
60mH Prelims: 10. Aisha Kazeem - 8.53q (PR), 12. Amy Carhee - 8.58q (PR)
800m Invite: 2. Isabella Orozco - 2:09.72
400m: 8. Nadja Moll - 56.24

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