Marist College student and women’s track and field triple jumper Kiana Pathirana is really making strides.

“Just a lot of excitement, so much so that I accidentally stepped on my teammate's foot with my spike,” Pathirana said.

The sophomore broke the school’s 22-year women's triple jump record at the Rider Invitational on April 22.

“It was like in the back of my mind, like I wanted to do it, but I didn't know if I could,” Pathirana said. “But I had my friends by the pit and one of my coaches, and I don’t know, it just happened. When they said my distance, it was just very exciting ‘cause we all knew what I had to get.”

Pathirana jumped 11.08 meters, beating the previous school record of 10.87 meters, which was set by Jen Stewart in 2001.

Pathirana is no stranger to competition. She grew up as a gymnast and began participating in track and field in eighth grade. She stuck with it for the love of the sport and friendships.

“I live with my teammates, and we always have each other's backs,” Pathirana said. “Because we experience a lot of things together, so it's nice to be around people who share experiences with each other.”

Charles Williams is in his 23rd year of coaching the women’s track and field team at Marist. He was there when Stewart broke the record in 2001 and again when Pathirana did this year. Both just happened to be at Rider University.

“When I heard that number go up on the board, I mean, it was pure excitement. I was trying to maintain it because I was also watching her teammate throw the javelin. And then once that was done, I just walked over to her. She just had the biggest smile on her face,” Williams said.

The triple jump is a track and field event in which athletes have to take three leaps incorporating a hop, skip and a jump into a sandpit. The measurement from the edge of the board to the closest indentation in the sand determines the distance traveled.

Venezuelan Olympian Yulimar Rojas currently holds the world record for women's triple jump at 15.74 meters. Jumping 15.12 meters, Jasmine Moore, a University of Florida junior, broke the U.S. record at this year’s NCAA Indoor Championships.

Finishing up only her second season with the team, Pathirana has many more big meets ahead of her as a Marist athlete. Each one is just another step in her life.

“I’m not satisfied yet, so gotta keep jumping,” Pathirana said.

Pathirana was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Field Performer of the Week following the record-breaking jump.