NEW YORK, Ny. - Even before it was official that she would be competing in the 2026 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships in New York, Centre College senior Chloe Hein was preparing for the national stage.

"I didn't have a lot of expectations being a D3 (Division III) athlete. I wanted to go and do well. My one goal was to try and make the finals," she said.

Once again, Hein exceeded her expectations. She won NCAA Division III national championships in both the indoor and outdoor long jump. Hein set a school record with her leap of 21 feet, 1 1/4 inch in the outdoor meet.

At the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships, she not only made the long jump finals but finished fifth overall with a jump of 20-7. Alyssa Jones of Stanford won with a 22-10 followed by Mona Nichols at 22-8 1/2, Tara Davis-Woodhall at 22-7 and Claire Bryant at 22-2.  Those finishing ahead of Hein were the 2024 Olympic Gold Medalist, 2025 World Champion and runner-up, and the 2026 NCAA Division I champion.

"As we got closer to the meet, I realized how much I cared about this meet. It got more real every day," Hein said. "I got to watch great athletes and that pumped me up."

She asked Centre jumps coach Ernest Moshelekti where he thought she could realistically finish. He told her fourth place was his prediction.

"He told me he was not joking. We had done the work all summer and he thought I could really do that," Hein said. "There was no pressure on me. I still have a year of college left. I just wanted to go in and have fun."

Some thought she looked nervous before and during the competition. Hein denied that.

I was bouncing my leg when I sat down to keep the energy going. I usually do that every meet but I definitely was not nervous during the meet," Hein said. "Now I was nervous in the morning but the second I started my meet routine my mindset shifted.

"I didn't jump as far as I had in practice but I knew I was probably not going to PR (personal record) because I had seen others struggle with that track during jumps earlier in the meet."

Still, it was a remarkable experience for the small town athlete from Alexandria, Ky., who only jumped 18 feet once during her prep career at Bishop Brossart.

"My average was probably 16 to 17 feet. I never knew about bigger meets and never got to jump on bigger stages," Hein said.

She doesn't want to "give away too many secrets" but Centre coaches have improved her speed along with her mentality.

"Having pressure is a privilege," she said. "My coaches said there was no ceiling to my success. Actually, I don't think I have my peak. Even with my PR (jump) I see I could work on this or that. I want to learn  more and more. I am not a very complacent person and know I can do more."

She would like to extend her NCAA Division III indoor national record . She went 20-6 1/4 in March to set the record and has six of the top 10 longest jumps in Division III history.

"I want the indoor record to be something really hard to reach. It took 13 years to break the record. I want to put up a number that will be unattainable," she said.

Hein, 21, was one of the youngest competitors at the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships and being "surrounded by that greatness was surreal" for her. While she's not given a potential professional career any "definite" thought, it could happen.

"I think I would have to consider it pretty heavily. That will be a conversation to have with my coaches," the Centre senior said. "Right now I do not see not doing track and field and the long jump is not something I think I will be giving up any time soon."