MT Snags Four All-American Honors at NCAA Indoor Championships

Friday, March 11

Birmingham, AL

Middle Tennessee

NCAA Championships

Photo by: Adiel Hernandez / University of Michigan

3/13/2022 1:54:00 PM | Men's Cross Country and Track & Field, Women's Cross Country and Track & Field, Track & Field/Cross Country

By: Braydin Sik, MT Athletic Communications

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Blue Raiders ended the indoor season with four All-American honorees along with a top-50 finish in the nation for the women's side and a top-60 finish on the men's side, as they finished things out at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by UAB.

Freshman Alaba Akintola was the first Blue Raider to compete on Friday, running a 21.49 second 200-meter dash. Akintola earned Second Team All-American honors for his top-16 finish in the nation, taking 14^th at the indoor championships. Akintola finished the season with the 14^th-best mark in the nation in the 200m with a time of 20.72 seconds at the Conference USA Championship.

Sophomore Omamuyovwi Erhire took seventh in the men's high jump with a final height of 2.20m, the third-best height reached of the meet. Erhire earned First Team All-American honors and finished the 2022 indoor season with the fifth-best mark in the nation of 2.23m during the C-USA Championships.

Graduate student Esther Isa earned Second Team All-American honors for her top-15 finish in triple jump this weekend. Isa hit a mark of 12.43m at the meet, short of her season-best mark of 13.48m she set at the C-USA Championships, which will end indoor season as the 12^th best mark in the country.

Senior Eusila Chepkemei was an automatic qualifier after placing in the top four of her heat during the one-mile prelims with a time of 4:36.33. Chepkemei went on to take sixth place in the finals with a time of 4:37.21. The record-breaking senior earned First Team All-American honors and finishes the indoor season with the fifth-best time in the nation of 4:32.39, which she set at the Boston Last Chance Meet the week before.

What's Next for the Blue Raiders?
Up next for the Blue Raiders is the outdoor-season opener, Tiger Track Classic, hosted by Auburn on Friday, March 12, and Saturday, March 13.

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