CSUB track's Parker sets school record in 100, relay 18th at NCAA West meet

Cal State Bakersfield sophomore sprinter Makiah Parker completed a second strong season at this past week's NCAA Track and Field West meet, but not before lowering her previous best time in the 100 meters quarterfinals and running on the women's 4x100 relay team quarterfinals in Fayetteville, Ark. on the University of Arkansas campus.

Parker, who came to this meet to run individually in the 100 and 200 and on the relay with teammates Rionna Wallace, Teague Marzetta and Chizitere Okey-Dike, finished her second 100 race of the week in a time of 11.21 seconds (wind +2.5).

In 2025 she lowered the record to 11.52, but she entered the 2026 NCAA meet going 11.38 in the Big West Conference Championships. She also went 11.33 in the conference preliminaries. At the NCAA meet, she ran 11.40 to advance to Saturday's quarterfinals. She was eighth in heat 1 of the 100 and was 17th overall, missing advancement to the June 10-13 NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. by so little, as the 12th and final qualifier was BYU's Paje Rasmussen (11.13).

The second 100 race Saturday for the 2026 Big West Conference 100 champion Parker came less than two hours after she and the CSUB relay team went 45.12 seconds, good for fifth in the second heat and placed 18th overall. Texas A&M, Arizona and Texas were the top three from the second heat to advance and UCLA was fourth. The 12th-place team and final qualifier was Arizona State with a 44.57 in the first heat.

Parker had also qualified in the 200, but her 23.74 and seventh-place finish in the second heat in last Thursday's first round wasn't enough to advance to Saturday's quarterfinal. She was 32nd overall and the top 24 advanced to the quarterfinals.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 5:21 AM.