Halfway through her freshman year at UTSA, Ida Breigan, who is the No. 3 ranked NCAA long jump athlete in the country, has been nothing short of amazing and is only scratching the surface.
Growing up in Norway, Breigan has always been connected with track and field. “This started with my parents with track and field. They got me into track and field very early, I always loved running and have always been an energetic child,” Breigan said. “This past year has really pushed me to want to be in the top and see that it’s possible.”
The freshman sensation has been a perfect fit in her short time at UTSA. She has enjoyed the academic side as well as the athletics side of the school. Breigan’s decision to come to UTSA was a no-brainer. She was a big fan of the coaches, the track and field program and the overall environment of UTSA.
“It was perfectly suited to be able to get better. The school seemed amazing so it wasn’t very hard to make the decision to come here,” Breigan said. “I love how they’re helping you with everything and it’s so organized. It’s the reason I came here of course. I love that it’s part of the school so it’s easy to deal with academics and track.”
Breigan has had to get used to the way track and field is organized in the U.S. compared to the way it is organized in Norway.
“There’s some differences. I do think that they’re better at organizing who jumps and they’re better at shouting the names of who’s jumping,” she said. “Also the inches and feet, I was afraid for my first competition that it was going to be in inches and feet but it was in meters luckily, but yeah it’s mostly the same.”
It’s safe to say that Breigan has adapted well to the way the States run its track and field events. She has become one of the top NCAA track and field athletes in the country since joining UTSA. On top of all that, Breigan could only be getting better the longer she stays with the track and field program.
With the upcoming NCAA Indoor meet, Breigan and her coaches have been making sure she does her usual training while trying to conserve enough energy for this competition.
“It’s pretty much normal how I prepare for every competition. Of course this is a much bigger competition and we know that, so we’re trying to get my max out for this and save my energy but do what I have to do in practice.”
The Norway native has a chance to place herself into the upper echelon of college athletes with a win at the NCAA Indoor Tournament on March 8 in Boston Massachusetts.
With a sixth-place finish and a long jump of 6.38 meters at the tournament, Breigan was able to earn First Team All-American honors for the women’s indoor long jump event. She became the first UTSA women’s true freshman to achieve these honors.
