After months of preparation and anticipation, the biggest meet of the NCAA season is here as the NCAA Outdoor Championships commence this Wednesday through Saturday in Austin, Texas. There are 17 Nigerian athletes that are set to compete on the track and in the field events.
The Men Look to Make History on the Track
This year there will be an unprecedented number of Nigerian male athletes in one of the marque events, the Men’s 100m dash.
Udodi Onwuzurike of Stanford University, Godson Brume of Louisiana State University (LSU), Favour Ashe of Auburn University, Alaba Akintola of Middle Tennessee State University, and Karlington Anunagba of the University of North Texas have all qualified. The possibility of a Nigerian-stacked final in this event is very high.
Ashe, who has a season’s best of 10.03 seconds and Karlington Anunagba who ran a personal best of 10.17 seconds at the NCAA regional round will square off in the second of three semifinal heats. Meanwhile, Onwuzurike whose 9.92-second personal best is one of the fastest times in the NCAA this season, will line up in the third heat with SEC 100m Champion Brume, and Conference-USA 100m Champion Akintola. Brume will also join his LSU teammates in the 4x100m relay, he anchored the team as they broke the NCAA record in the event back in May at the SEC Championships.
Onwuzurike and Akintola also qualified for the Men’s 200m semifinal. Onwuzurike will look to qualify for the NCAA final for the second straight year and improve on his Bronze medal finish at last year’s championships. Ezekiel Nathaniel will represent Baylor University in the Men’s 400m hurdles. He will also look to return to his second straight finals, last year he finished in 4th place. He will also be a part of Baylor’s 4x400m relay team. Dubem Amene of the University of Michigan will run in the Men’s 400m while Bashiru Abdullahi of The University of Texas, San Antonio will compete in the Men’s 110m hurdles.
The Women Sprinters Hope to End Season on High Note
The female sprinters were last year’s shining glory for Nigeria in the NCAA, winning medals and breaking records consistently. Unfortunately, the ladies’ performances have simmered down this season but there is still time to finish the season strong.
Rosemary Chukwuma of Texas Tech University will look to make a statement in the Women’s 100m dash. Her wind-aided personal best of 10.85 seconds from April places her as the overall #3 ranked female short sprinter in the field. She achieved a wind-legal season’s best in the West Regionals two weeks ago, running 11.09 seconds to finish 7th overall and qualify for the Championship. This will be her 2nd trip to the NCAA Championships, as last year she finished in 4th place in the 100m race.
Favour Ofili of LSU has been battling injury for weeks, but hopes to return to form as she eyes another impressive finish in the women’s 200m dash. This will be her 3rd straight NCAA Championship in this event, she finished 4th in 2021 and 2nd in 2022. To qualify for this year’s championship, she ran 22.77 seconds in the quarterfinals which was the 7th fastest time in the round overall. Her season’s best time came in May at the SEC Championships when she ran 22.58 seconds which is the 19th fastest time in the nation.
Many Nigerian female sprinters will be part of their schools’ relay teams in Austin, including Chukwuma who will run the 4x100m for Texas Tech. Ofili and Imaobong Nse Uko of Baylor University will perform double duty as part of the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams. Freshman Ella Onojuvvwevwo will join LSU’s 4x400m relay team as well. Adaobi Tabugbo will lead the 4x100m relay for Brigham Young University and Amarachukwu Obi will also run the 4x100m for the University of Alabama.
Field Athletes Aim to Make Their Mark
With all the hype around the sprinters, the expectations for the athletes in the field events are just as high.
Ashley Anumba has emerged as one of the top women’s Discus throwers in the nation this season and the University of Virginia graduate student will look to cap off her amazing year near the top of the podium in Austin. She reset her personal best twice this season, her latest back in May throwing 60.97 meters. She earned a silver medal at the ACC Championships, and she ranks 4th in the event in the NCAA.
Chinecherem Nnamdi of Baylor University will be making his second appearance in the championships in as many years in the Men’s Javelin Throw. The Nigerian National Record holder had an inspiring 5th place finish in the NCAA final in his first collegiate season. Last month, he earned his second straight Big 12 Conference title in the event and his season’s best throw of 79.98 meters is the 4th farthest throw in the NCAA this year.
Onaara Obamuwagun of Texas Tech University qualified for the Women’s Triple Jump by finishing 5th in the West Regionals a couple of weeks ago. Her wind-aided mark of 13.73 meters from April places her as the 7th ranked triple jumper in the NCAA. This will be her first trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Follow along with the Live Results of the meet with this link: https://flashresults.ncaa.com/Outdoor/2023/index.htm
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