Trinity Shadd-Ceres helped Wisconsin run through the NCAA volleyball tournament, playing a role in helping the Badgers reach the Final Four. She wasn't a main rotational player, but when she showed up, she knew how to make a mark. She dealt a few major kills in the tournament that helped Wisconsin advance. However, after the season, she decided she wanted a more featured role and transferred to Creighton.
What she did next at Creighton is the unexpected part. Only those that either now Shadd-Ceres personally who knew her journey through high school could have predicted the next turn. She decided to compete on Creighton's track and field team. She hasn't competed in track since high school, but decided to do the long jump. At the NCAA Track and Field Championship, she finished sixth in the event, earning All-American honors.
Shadd-Ceres went from a Wisconsin Final Four to an All-American in track in under a year. This is all before she takes the stage as a premier hitter for the Blue Jays.
From volleyball biggest stage to track and field's 🤩
— AvidVolley (@AvidVolley) June 12, 2026
What a year for Trinity Shadd-Ceres 🔥
Trinity became the first Creighton track and field athlete to earn All-American honors after finishing sixth in the long jump last night at the NCAA Track and Field Championship 🔥 pic.twitter.com/lIIujyJunz
Trinity Shadd-Ceres finished sixth in the NCAA Track and Field Championships in the long jump, making program history
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According to Creighton's website, she's actually Creighton's first All-American in track ever. A wild idea to try out for track led to not only an impressive performance from Chadd-Ceres but also a program history. Creighton is going to be thankful for Shadd-Ceres in two sports now as the former Badger shows her elite athleticism.
To add to her acclaim at Creighton, she was also "Creighton's first individual champion at a BIG EAST Championship on May 15th with a leap of 6.36 meters (20' 10.5")." For Wisconsin fans, they probably had no idea she had these skills. Many knew she could jump high but didn't know she could jump far nor that she had a track background. This award and ability are surprising but exciting and make her decision to transfer away the right one, and even more justified.
It was already a good decision for Shadd-Ceres; she wasn't going to have a featured role for the Badgers. She would have had a similar role this season to what she had as a true freshman, or maybe even worse. Kelly Sheffield has an enormous amount of talented hitters on the roster this season. He even added another one the other day with Decelise Champion, an international superstar in the sport at 6'6 and can jump out of the gym.
Shadd-Ceres knew the role wasn't guaranteed, so heading to Creighton was a smart move for her. It became double-smart when she became an All-American in track. She was asked about this performance and her All-American honor, and she said, "This is awesome. I definitely was not expecting this. My main goal with Gannon has been to have fun with the sport again and re-learning how to have fun with it and take it day-by-day."
She has no pressure in the sport because she knows that she came to Creighton for volleyball, and this is just a cherry on top. Good for Trinity! It's exciting to see her succeed at Creighton, even if it's not yet on the volleyball court.
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