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ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Relying on a favorable climate as well as natural athletic ability, Nazareth junior Brenna Johnson is set to represent the Golden Flyers Thursday at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Johnson is qualified to compete in the women's long jump, which takes place Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Irwin Belk Track Complex in Greensboro, N.C. She is ranked 13th among the 19 competitors from various corners of the country, thanks to her qualifying leap of 5.76 meters (18 feet, 10 3/4 inches) performed at last week's All-Atlantic Regional Championships at St. John Fisher.

The weather forecast for the greater Greensboro area on Thursday calls for mostly sunny skies with temperatures near 90 degrees. In other words, it's good jumping weather.

"You never know," said Nazareth Coach James Goss. "She has some nervous excitement and she gets better every time out."

If it seems as if Johnson has received a crash course in long jumping this spring, it's because she began competing in the event less than a month ago. Her first long jumping competition came May 1 at the Geneseo Invitational. Then came the Empire 8 Conference meet, the Roberts Wesleyan Invitational and finally the All-Atlantic Regional Championships last week.

A sprinter by trade, Johnson has made a name for herself within the Empire 8 by winning multiple conference titles during the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2021. She was named the E8's Track Athlete of the Year for the indoor season after winning the 60-, 200- and 400-meter dashes and anchoring the winning 4 x 400-meter relay team. She reaped rewards during the outdoor season by winning E8 titles in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and anchoring the 4 x 400-meter relay. She was second in the 400-meter dash and the long jump.

"I still think there is a lot of room for improvement," said Johnson, a Physical Therapy major with a 4.00 grade-point average. "I'm very excited to be competing at the national meet."

The top eight finishers will be named All-Americans and Johnson will be striving to become Nazareth's third female outdoor track and field All-American, joining Emily Thompson in the 10,000-meter run in 2018 and Taylor Pierson in the long jump in 2013.