Western Washington University high jumper Maddie Taylor, who prepped at Auburn Mountainview, has been selected as the 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Female Newcomer of the Year.

Taylor, a redshirt junior, won the GNAC indoor high jump title, clearing 5 feet, 6½ inches at the conference championships. She went on to place 11th at the NCAA II Indoor Championships in Pittsburg, Kansas to earn Second Team All-America honors. Earlier in the season, Taylor soared 5-8, the second-best mark in WWU indoor history and the sixth-best height in Great Northwest Athletic Conference indoor history.

Taylor, a transfer from the University of Montana, is the first Viking to earn the GNAC Women’s Indoor Newcomer of the Year award.

The 6-foot Taylor is off to a great start in her senior year of eligibility in the outdoor season, breaking the 35-year-old school record in the high jump at 5-8½. Her mark is currently the top performance in NCAA Division II this season.