As the 2024 track season reaches its closure, there are only select student-athletes still competing for a chance to represent their schools in the NCAA Championship. One of those select few is Washington State's Maribel Caicedo, as she has established herself as one of the best student-athletes in the country; and as she prepares to compete in the NCAA 100-meter hurdle semifinals, she will be representing the Crimson and Gray, but also has the chance to represent her home country's colors in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
Caicedo hails from Guayaquil, Ecuador, where she was introduced to track and field at a young age.
"My auntie took me to a track practice, I thought it would be fun," she told KREM 2's Andrew Quinn. "Although I didn't really like it at first."
However, Caicedo stuck with it and over time she started to get better and be introduced to more events. While now she is one of the best hurdlers in the world, she did not get her start in hurdles.
"I didn't start with hurdles, I started with jumping and sprints." In fact, one of Caicedo's first coaches introduced her to hurdlers. Ahead of the 2015 World U18 Championship, Caicedo qualified for the 100-meter sprint; however, she also qualified for the 100-meter hurdles. Her coach decided that she should compete in the hurdles instead of the sprints, which proved to be a defining moment in Caicedo's career.
"She chose me to compete in the 100 hurdles and from that year on I competed in hurdles, and I've been getting better every year," Caicedo reflected. This move proved to be very successful for the Ecuadorian, as she finished first in the hurdles, taking home her first gold medal of a very young career.
As Caicedo continued to compete in track and field, she made the decision she wanted to take her talents to the United States and compete at the collegiate level.
"Around 2017 I knew I wanted to go to college in America for track," the super senior said. "I got an offer in 2015 but I wasn't ready to leave my family and country just yet."
With a desire to compete in track and field at the collegiate level, she got her wish prior to the 2018-19 season, committing to the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).
Caicedo saw action her first year, and most of it came in the outdoor spring season where she saw two of her best finishes of her freshman year. During UTEP's first meet, she finished eighth at the Bray Clay Invitational and improved the next meet to sixth place at the Desert Heat Classic.
During Caicedo's sophom*ore year it was clear that she became a lot more comfortable competing at this level and in UTEP's indoor season she garnered her best finish yet, placing fourth in the 60-meter hurdles at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational. She also finished the season with her first All-Conference USA First Team for the 60m hurdles. However, just as it seemed she was getting into her groove, the outdoor sophom*ore season was cut short due to the pandemic.
When Caicedo returned to the track for her second outdoor season, she was in the best form of her career. In the first meet of the spring, she captured gold in the 4x100 relay at the UTSA Invitational. Caicedo kept things rolling when UTEP traveled to Denver for the Roadrunner Invitational, where Caicedo captured gold in both the 4x100 relay and the 100m hurdles.
Caicedo built off her sophom*ore season as in her junior season she recorded the biggest win of her career thus far, capturing gold in the Conference USA Indoor Championships and being rewarded with 2022 All-Conference USA First Team for 60m hurdles.
Ahead of her senior year, Caicedo entered the transfer portal. Over her three years at UTEP, she showed improvement every season and became one of the best hurdlers in the country.
One of the first schools to contact Caicedo when she entered the portal was Washington State. What proved to be one of the deciding factors in Caicedo's decision was the relationship she already had with Washington State hurdler and fellow South American, Micaela De Mello.
"I put my name in the portal and Washington State reached out," Caicedo reflected. "At first, I wasn't sure. When I saw my friend Micaela was here, I wanted to go somewhere where I already knew someone."
With Caicedo landing a new home at Washington State, she looked to pick up right where she left off.
To start the 2023 indoor season, she took home first place in the first five meets for the 60m hurdles, including a 7.99-second finish to clinch the WSU program record. Caicedo bested the school record with a blistering 7.44 to qualify for the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships where she finished in 13th place and earned herself NCAA Indoor All-American status.
When arriving on the Palouse to a new home, Caicedo also found an opportunity to adopt a new mentality change that truly unlocked the best version of herself.
"When I was at UTEP I had a coach who said, 'I can't coach you like a pro,' so I never had that mentality at UTEP," Caicedo explained. "I started to have that mentality when I transferred to Washington State."
With years of experience under her belt and a new approach to being coached, it came as no surprise when Caicedo put together her best year yet this spring.
To start the outdoor season, Caicedo finished first in four out of the first five meets, she also set multiple personal record times throughout the season including an 11.78 in the 100m, 23.52 in the 200m, and even recording a 12.49 in the 100m hurdles at the NCAA West First Round. The mark was the fastest in Division-I this season.
With Caicedo qualifying for the NCAA Championship Semifinals, it puts her one step closer to earning the highest achievement in collegiate track. Throughout the season, she also put herself one step closer to the pinnacle of her sport - a chance to punch her ticket to Paris for the 2024 Olympics.
Caicedo met the Olympic Qualifying standard and will have the chance to represent Ecuador on the world stage in the 100m hurdles at the 2024 Olympics beginning in August. It serves as a full circle moment for Caicedo, who left home for a chance to pursue collegiate track, and now because of how much she has grown as a student-athlete over the past six years, she can represent her home country this summer.
"It means a lot to represent my country because my family back home believes in me. I'm excited to wear that uniform again," she explained.
As Caicedo gears up for the biggest stretch of competition she has faced, she will do so the same way she always has, wearing the colors of her home country and the Crimson and Gray.
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