Senior Chloe Tabb’s black Nike running spikes hit the ground in swift, rhythmic strides as she sprints down the runway at The Armory in New York City. Toward the end of the runway, she completes the characteristic hop, skip and jump before landing in the sand pit ahead of her.

Tabb was competing in the triple and long jump events at the 2026 Nike Indoor Nationals alongside some of the top athletes in the nation. This year, the championship was held from Thursday, March 12, to Sunday, March 15.

“When you do a sport, you know the top athletes in your sport, you always hear about them on TikTok or social media, and it was really fun actually seeing them,” Tabb said. “That was my first time going to an indoor nationals or to any big nationals.”

The Nike Indoor Nationals is a premiere annual high school track and field championship, bringing together athletes from across North America to compete over four days, according to the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation.

Qualifying for the tournament requires reaching or exceeding specific performance standards specific to each event. Tabb qualified for the tournament after meeting these standards for Girls Long Jump and Triple Jump in December and March.

“It’s a very rewarding sport, I think, once you’re actually like up there and getting to where you want to get to,” Tabb said.

Although Tabb competes with varsity girls track during the spring, she went to Nike Indoor Nationals with a separate, recently established club, Jackal Track and Field. This was the first year her team attended the event.

“I love those people so much,” Tabb said.

Tabb’s best jump at nationals was 39 feet and 3.5 inches, earning her an 11th place spot.

“You know what, I did pretty solid. I’m not gonna down myself,” Tabb said. “I got 11th in my triple, which 11th out of how many ever, I’ll take it, those people were really, really good.”

The experience taught Tabb a lesson about performance and competing against talented athletes.

“There are always people who are gonna do what you want,” Tabb said. “Like they’re gonna get your marks before you. They’re gonna get your times before you. You gotta take your time and do you because everybody’s on a different path, and that may have been their time to shine, and I’ll get back to them later.”

Serena Haymon, senior, has known Tabb since preschool and has trained with her in track since freshman year. Haymon said Tabb acts like the “team mom,” bringing rollers, telling teammates good stretches to do and supporting other athletes.

“Chloe is a good individual. She’s always there trying to encourage people,” Haymon said.

Both Haymon and Tabb have had knee injuries, so they help each other by sharing stretches and strategies. They consistently support each other, something which Haymon said has made both of them better athletes.

“We like to motivate each other,” Haymon said. “We tell each other to keep going or we tell each other to push.”

Haymon said Tabb has been training for Nike Indoor Nationals since April of 2025, doing repetitive training five days a week.

“You have to stay consistent to get better,” Haymon said. “It’s being consistent, stretching every night, that’s what she tells me.”

Darcy Hachmeister, girls track and field coach, said Tabb transferred to MHS from Lafayette High School at the beginning of her junior year. Hachmeister coaches Tabb alongside Jordan Siegel.

Hachmeister said Lafayette coaches laid a strong foundation for her long and triple jumps, something which made her job easier.

“She’s just a natural talent,” Hachmeister said.

Training for jumps includes many drills, Hachmeister said, especially because horizontal and vertical jumps put a lot of pressure on the legs. These drills sometimes include plyometric workouts, like jump squats or box jumps.

Since she met her, Hachmiester said Tabb’s confidence in her own abilities has improved greatly, now understanding better what she needs to work on herself without needing to rely on a coach telling her what to do.

“She’s become a coach within herself,” Hachmiester said.

This story was originally published on Marquette Messenger on April 22, 2026.