2021 Women's Track and Field Roster
Biography
SPU: Four-year letterwinner. ... All-GNAC indoor in 60-meter dash (2018). ... USTFCCCA outdoor All-West Region in 4x100 relay (2018). ... All-GNAC outdoor in 4x100 relay (2018, 2019, 2021). ... GNAC All-Academic (2019, 2020, 2021). ... USTFCCCA All-Academic (2019, 2020, 2021).
Senior (2021): INDOOR – Season canceled. OUTDOOR – Was part of the GNAC-winning 4-by-100 relay for the third straight time, and was the anchor leg for the second straight time, teaming with Jenna Bouyer, Renick Meyer, and Grace Bley to finish in 46.68 seconds. ... Also placed 4th in the 100-meter dash (12.06) and 6th in the 200 (25.14) at GNAC. In the 100 prelims, clocked her first sub-12 of the season, coming through the wire in 11.97. ... Won the 100 at the Peyton-Shotwell Invitational on April 24. ... Ran on six winning relays during the course of the season – three 4-by-100s and three 4-by-400s. ... For her career, was a part of 18 first-place relays: 11 in the 4-by-1, and seven in the 4-by-4.
Junior (2020): INDOOR – Ran in five meets. … Placed 4th in the 200-meter dash (25.03) and 5th in the 60 dash (7.70) at the GNAC Championships. Won her preliminary heat of the 200 in 24.96, her first career sub-25, indoors or outdoors.. … Also ran the third leg on the 3rd-place 4-by-400 relay at GNAC, as the Falcons finished in 3:53.25. … Tied teammate Grace Bley for 2nd place in the 200 at the Jackson’s / Nike Boise Invitational on Feb 8, clocking 25.11 seconds. … After coming into the season with a PR of 25.64 in the 200, wound up setting a new one three times: 25.52 in the prelims at Jackson’s / Nike, 25.11 in the finals of that meet, and 24.96 in the GNAC prelims. OUTDOOR – Led off the winning 4-by-400 relay at the season-opening Ed Boitano / Puget Sound Invitational, teaming with Jenna Bouyer, Renick Meyer, and Grace Bley for a time of 4 minutes, 3.72 seconds. … Also ran the 800 for the first time in college, placing 5th in 2:33.16. … Rest of the season canceled because of the coronavirus.
Sophomore (2019): INDOOR – Placed 7th in the 60-meter dash (7.87) and 10th in the 200 (25.79) at the GNAC Championships. ... In the 60-meter prelims at GNAC, clocked a personal-best 7.75. ... Ran a PR of 25.54 in the 200 at the UW Invitational, good for 19th place. OUTDOOR – Anchored the 4-by-100 relay that won the GNAC title for the second year in a row and set both school and conference meet records. The foursome of Peace Igbonagwam, Jenna Bouyer, Grace Bley, and Stepper set the SPU record of 46.23 on March 22 at the Aztec Invitational in San Diego, breaking the old record of 46.33 set in 2018. That same group then clocked 46.32 at GNAC, bettering the old mark of 46.61, also set in 2018. Stepper ran the second leg on both of the previous record-setting teams. ... Also placed 7th in the 100-meter dash at GNAC (12.32), part of SPU's 2-3-4-5-7 finish in the race that produced 25 points toward helping the Falcons win the team title. ... Broke 12 seconds for the first time at the collegiate level with an 11.96 in the regular-season finale Ken Shannon Invitational just one week before the conference meet. ... Won the 100 dash at the Saint Martin's Jay Hammer Meet.
Freshman (2018): INDOOR – Placed 3rd in the 60-meter dash at GNAC in 7.92. ... Placed 9th in the GNAC 200 in a personal-best 25.65. ... Made her college debut with at 7.80 in the 60 dash on Jan. 13 at the season-opening UW Indoor Preview. OUTDOOR – Ran second leg on GNAC champion 4x100 relay, combining with Renick Meyer, Becca Houk, and Grace Bley for a meet- and McArthur Field-record time of 46.61. A week earlier in the Ken Shannon Invitational at Husky Track, that group set a school record with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 46.33, breaking the old mark of 46.77. ... Placed 4th in the 100 (12.36) and 7th in the 200 (26.03) at GNAC. ... Won four times during the regular season, with back-to-back victories in the 100 (March 30 at the UBC Open in Vancouver, B.C., and April 6 at the Western Washington Team Invitational in Bellingham), and two triumphs in the 200 (SPU's Doris Heritage Track Festival and the Saint Martin's Jay Hammer Meet). Her 200 time of 25.03 at the Hammer was a PR... Set a PR of 12.06 in the 100 dash at the Ken Shannon Invite. ... Also did the long jump in three meets. ... Through the season, ran on six winning relays, four of them with the record-setting 4x100 combo. ... Also long jumped three times, with a best of 16-8 1/4 at the Hammer.
Woodland High School: Set Washington Class 2A (medium / small school) state meet record in the 100-meter dash as a senior in 2017, winning the title in a school-record 11.89 seconds. In addition, placed 2nd in the 200 with a personal-best and school-record 24.55, and 3rd in the long jump at 17-2 3/4. ... Won the sub-district and district titles in all three events, as well as on the 4x100. ... Ran second leg on the 11th-place 4x100 relay at state as a senior. That same group won the sub-district and district titles. ... As a junior in 2016 at state, was 2nd in the 200 and long jump, 4th in the 100, and ran second leg on the 8th-place 4x100 relay. Won sub-district and district titles in all three individual events. ... Placed 6th in the 100 and 200, and 7th in the long jump at state as a sophomore in 2015, also running the second leg on the 9th-place 4x100 relay. Won the sub-district and district titles in the two sprints and on the 4x100 relay; won sub-district and was 3rd at district in the long jump, and ... Made her state debut as a freshman in 2014 by finishing 2nd in the 200, 6th in the long jump, 9th in the 100, and running the second leg on the 8th place 4x100 relay. Won the sub-district and district titles in the 100 and 200, and the district crown in the long jump (placing 2nd at sub-district). ... Altogether, won 11 sub district and 11 district individual titles, plus two sub-district and two district relay titles. ... 3-time WIAA Athlete of the Week. ... Although making her name as a sprinter, also did cross country for two years, placing 49th as a junior and 51st as a senior at the district meet.
Personal: Julia Lynn Stepper ... History major. ... Has two cousins who attended SPU.
Fun facts: Did track for six years prior to arriving at SPU. ... Became interested in the sport in 5th grade when her P.E. teacher had her race against the boys during fitness tests. ... Along with track and cross country, has played basketball and soccer. ... Most memorable track moment was eating two doughnuts before running the 4x400 relay. ... Dumbest movie she ever saw was "Sharknado." ... Book she just couldn't put down was "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez. ... Favorite sport to watch is football. ... Favorite junk food is chocolate croissants. ... Favorite healthy foods are granola and oatmeal. ... Favorite TV program is "The Big Bang Theory." ... If she could invite anyone to dinner, it would be American celebrity chef Bobby Flay "so he can teach me to cook." ... If she coud be any action hero, would be the Flash "because then I could do good for the world and be fast." ... Her family calls her Hoolio. ... In 10 years, plans to be teaching history to middle schoolers in the Pacific Northwest.
INDOOR PERSONAL BESTS
60: 7.67 (2/21/2020)
200: 24.96 (2/21/2020)
Long jump: 15-7 1/2 / 4.76m (1/13/2018)
OUTDOOR PERSONAL BESTS
100: 11.96 (5/4/2019)
200: 25.03 (4/14/2018)
400: 1:00.82 (3/3/2018)
800: 2:33.26 (3/7/2020
Long jump: 16-8 1/4 / 5.09m (4/14/2018)
CAREER RESULTS
