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Incoming Arizona seniors Emma Gates and Paris Mikinski are looking to take home gold when they compete in the national high jump championships on Aug. 1.

The duo is the “two youngest athletes entered into the high jump competition,� according to UA high jump coach Bob Myers.

Gates and Mikinski will compete against both professional and amateur athletes at the championships.

“It’s a little bit more pressure (being the youngest),� Gates said. “Also, just knowing that a lot of these girls are pro athletes now and that they have a little bit more experience, but it’s nice to be going with Paris so that we’re both the youngest and we both have kind of the same level of experience in that. And it’s just exciting. It’s almost kind of like we’re the underdog.�

Over the last few years, Gates and Mikinski have devoted significant time to training for Arizona events, as well as prestigious events such as the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships.

They sprint, lift, jump and push each other to be better.

“We do everything … � Mikinski said. “I love training with her because there’s some things that she’s better and she pushes me in and vice versa. So, I think whatever she’s good at, I’m not good at, and vice versa. So, it really helps to have someone there with you and with the same goal, too.�

Despite both women opting to redshirt a season in the last year — Gates to focus on her studies in the MIS program, and Mikinski due to injury — they say they’re feeling good mentally and physically ahead of the championships.

For Gates, the event is a bit of a homecoming for the Oregon native.

“It definitely means a lot to me because a lot of my family can come and support me and watch,� she said. “It’s just about an hour from where I grew up. So, my grandparents and my family can all come watch me.�

Currently, Gates is the No. 1-ranked amateur for outdoor track in the high jump category in the U.S., according to World Athletics. (World Athletics has her listed at No. 6, but the five athletes above her are professionals who are no longer in college, according to Myers).

At the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in March, Gates placed fourth in the high jump competition with a clearance mark of 1.88m. The top three finishers were Olympians.

Mikinski, a Salpointe Catholic graduate, is currently ranked No. 10 in the U.S. in the high jump category on the professionals and amateurs list.

During her indoor season earlier this year, Mikinski competed in seven meets overall and placed third in the high jump competition at the Big 12 Indoor Championships with a clearance mark of 1.87m (matching her personal best).

Track and field is in Mikinski’s DNA.

Her mother is Kansas State track and field legend Gwen Wentland-Mikinski, who won multiple NCAA championships, was an eight-time All-American and set both indoor and outdoor school records. Once Wentland-Mikinski retired from high jumping, she began coaching others, including her daughter, Paris.

“I’ve always been exposed to the sport,� Mikinski said, adding, “I love how much it teaches me about myself. I’ve learned a lot of self-discipline, patience and just being a competitive person, and it’s so much fun for me to go out and test myself.�

Now, as the duo shifts its focus from their previous season to this weekend’s championships and beyond, they’re looking forward to facing it all by each other’s side.

“It’s been great having two really good athletes here for the last three years,� Myers said. “They are both exceptionally disciplined. They’re very hardworking and whenever you have two leaders in the group like that, that really raises the level of the whole group. What I tell all the recruits that I’m recruiting is ‘you’ve got to be ready because Emma and Paris are going to bring it every day.’ They’re really exceptional as far as the work they put in and the dedication that they show toward school and sport.�

The top athletes from this weekend’s USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships qualify for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September and the North American, Central American and Caribbean Championships in a few weeks.

Viewers can watch some events on NBC and Peacock, while the whole event can be streamed on .

“I think this (going to the championships) shows there’s great talent here in Tucson, and it’s just not a really small town,� Mikinski said. “You can do anything you want. So, I’m very proud to represent not only the U of A, but Tucson as a city.�

Editor's note: Emma Gates placed third in the women's high jump event at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships on Aug. 1. Teammate Paris Mikinski placed 11th.