By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- She arrived at the 2023 NCAA Division 3 Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships dealing with an ankle injury.
Bridgewater State University high jumper Serenity Sands (East Bridgewater, Mass.) had suffered the ailment early in the season and it had bothered her all spring.
Seeded No. 22, the expectations for Sands were limited going into the national meet at Rochester, N.Y., and she finished 21st with a jump of 5 feet, 1.25 inches.
"Last spring, I was nervous," said the BSU senior. "I wasn't really surprised that I didn't do that well because of how the season had gone with the injury. I couldn't jump up to my potential last season.
"I was pretty much thankful that I was able to go. I didn't know what I was going to be able to do. I was still grateful that I was able to go and just experience that because that's more experience you have."
Sands is returning to the national stage this week, this time healthy and seeded No. 3 in the country with a school-record high jump of 5 feet, 7.25 inches.
She will compete in her first NCAA Indoor Championships on Saturday at noon at the Virginia Beach Sports Center in an event hosted by Norfolk State University.
Sands broke the BSU record of 5-7 that she previously held with current assistant coach Samantha Richner on Feb. 3 at the Tufts Cupid Challenge. She qualified for the NCAAs on Dec. 10 with a jump of 5-7 at the UMass Boston Beacons Open.
It was one of several highlights for Sands this season, coming on the heels of the frustration at the outdoor national championship meet last May.
"It was extremely, extremely frustrating," said Sands of last spring's experience. "In the moment, it was hard to see past that. After the season, I told myself I did everything I could to get there and now I had a full summer to heal and get better and hopefully this season will be better. It definitely has been better and it definitely paid off."
In addition to breaking the BSU high jump record, Sands has earned All-New England Division 3 honors after tying for fifth place and All-New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association honors after placing second.
Sands also won the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference title with a high jump of 5 feet, 5.25 inches.
"It's been extremely satisfying," said Sands, a psychology major who can return for the 2024-25 season. "I'm just happy that I was able to stick with it and push through it and reap the benefits of that.
"I think it's just all the right pieces falling into place. Last year, I was injured and the year before was my first year doing collegiate sports and it was just getting used to the mental side of that. I've been able to gain some experience and now I'm able to actually show what I can do.
"I definitely had more goals on my mind while I was training. That pushed me to keep up with it during the summer.''
Sands made her NCAA debut at the outdoor championships in 2022 when she finished 13th in the high jump at Geneva, Ohio.
She is aiming for All-America recognition, which goes to the top eight finishers.
Sands is seeded No. 3 behind Grace Alley of Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa and Allie Wildsmith of the Coast Guard Academy. The difference between the top-seeded jumper and No. 20 is just three inches.
"I think it's anyone's game," said Sands. "It should be very competitive. All-American is the goal. I just hope I'm able to stay calm and do what I know I can do and get a good mark.
"If I can get a good mark for me, that's pretty much All-American status. I'm just hoping I can do what I know I can do. I feel I'm better prepared this time now that I'm healthy.
"I'm just trying to stay focused and hopefully deliver on being an All-American. I'm really excited to go out and compete. I feel like I've been pretty consistent in terms of what I did at the beginning of the season all the way through to last Saturday."
And how would Sands react to being an All-American after being at a disadvantage in the nationals last spring?
"That would be so satisfying," said Sands. "It would be emotional, just to think about how last year went with no indoor season and then the outdoor season, I was injured. It would just go to show you need to stick with your dreams and they'll come true."