NEW ORLEANS — After a sensational freshman season with Xavier University of Louisiana women's track and field, Shalysa Wray will return to competition this week in the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) U18 & U23 Championships at Querétaro, Mexico.
     Wray will compete Friday in the under-23 100-meter dash semifinals at 10:25 a.m. and try to advance to the final at 6:55 p.m. Wray will run in the 200 semifinals at 4:45 p.m. Saturday; that final is scheduled for 9:20 a.m. Sunday.
     The resident of Waterford Portmore, Jamaica, will represent the Cayman Islands, her birthplace.
     Wray enrolled at XULA in January and never slowed down. Her track highlights included:
     •  Only woman to earn All-America in four events at the 2019 NAIA Outdoor National Championships.
     •  Fifth place at NAIA nationals in the 200 and 100, sixth in the 400 relay and eighth in the 1,600 relay.
     •  Leading the Gold Nuggets to their highest-ever team finish at nationals, 23rd place.
     •  School records in the 200 (24.11 seconds), 400 (55.24), 400 relay (46.23; Wray ran anchor) and 1,600 relay (3:48.75; Wray was leadoff).
     •  First woman to win the 100 and 400 in the same season at the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Championships.
     •  XULA Female Athlete of the Year (all sports).
     "My spring semester at Xavier was great," Wray said. "I learned a lot and improved by far. I'm now more focused and determined to achieve the goals I've set for myself. My first semester at Xavier showed me that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. I'm very glad I came to Xavier."
     Wray said her goal is to achieve a qualifying time for the IAAF World Championships Sept. 28-Oct. 6 at Doha, Qatar. She'll need 11.24 in the 100 — her best this year is 11.77 — or 23.02 in the 200 to advance. Wray could qualify for the Pan American Games Aug. 6-11 at Lima, Peru, with 11.55 in the 100 or 23.18 in the 200.
     "I think I have a great chance to run the qualifying times as long as I stay focused and execute my races well," Wray said. "I'm feeling very excited and confident.
     "This meet is very important to me and my country because it will give me a lot of exposure. Running with professional athletes is an experience that will be great for me."
     Wray is seeded 13th out of 17 runners in the 100. Twanisha "TeeTee" Terry of the United States (University of Southern California; best time 10.98) is seeded first in 100. Wray is seeded ninth out of 15 in the 200. Angie Annelus, also representing the United States and USC, is seeded first at 22.16.
     Querétaro is in central Mexico, 132 miles northwest of Mexico City. The three-day meet will be run at altitude — Querétaro is 5,970 feet (1,820 meters) above sea level.