Sally Ceesay gained her first All-America honors with an eighth-place finish in the triple jump at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships on March 12, 2016. (Jay Hartshorn)

GRINNELL, Iowa -- Sophomore Sally Ceesay became Bates College's first All-American triple jumper since 1985 on Saturday, placing eighth at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Ceesay (Bronx, N.Y.) matched the school record she set last year for the second time this season, soaring 11.75 meters, or 38 feet and 6.75 inches, on her second attempt of the day, and did not improve upon that the rest of the way despite three additional attempts of 11.36 meters or better. 

Ceesay, competing at nationals for the second time in her career, was tied for fifth place in the field of 17 as the top nine entered the final round. She was passed by three athletes in the finals, but finished 0.75 inches ahead of Williams junior Chloe Rogers for eighth place and her first career All-America honor.

Bates' only other All-America performance in the triple jump, for men or women, was Camille McKayle's sixth-place showing in 1985.

Ceesay becomes Bates' 22nd athlete ever to claim All-America honors in women's indoor track and field. 

The one team point Ceesay scored for her performance put Bates in the team standings, tied with Ohio Wesleyan, Bridgewater (Va.), Heidelberg, Wisconsin-Whitewater and Washington & Lee for 70th place out of 77 teams that scored for top-eight performances. 

The Bobcats had a program-best six athletes at the meet, and on Friday junior Allison Hill (Brunswick, Maine) placed ninth in the 60-meter hurdles while first-year Ayden Eickhoff (Corvallis, Mont.), junior Claire Markonic (Millerton, N.Y.), senior Isabelle Unger (Charlotte, Vt.) and junior Jessica Wilson (Cumberland, Maine) placed 11th in the distance medley relay.