UNI track and field athlete Jessica Heims has been selected to represent the United States in the 2019 Paralympic Games.

The Swisher, Iowa native is one of 45 athletes for the US selected, and this is her second time participating in the games.

In 2016 while competing in Rio De Janiero, Heims placed seventh in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:09.17, and placed eighth in the discus with a throw of 25.98 meters.

The team will have their first international competition in Lima, Peru at the Parapan American games from Aug. 23 to Sep. 1. The team will then compete in the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in November.

The Paralympic athletes typically use these competitions in order to hone their skills prior to the coming Olympiad, which will be held in Tokyo, Japan in 2020.

Heims will first compete for the UNI track team this outdoor season, starting March 30 at the Jim Duncan Invite in Des Moines. She has red-shirted her previous two seasons while in Cedar Falls.