Nigerian winners have emerged at the 2021 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships.
World Bronze medallist Ese Brume competed in the women’s Long Jump at the American Track League in California, reaching a Season’s Best (SB) of 6.60 meters (1.1) to take 2nd in the event, which was won by Brittney Reese at a last round 6.80 meters (0.4), edging out the Nigerian whose mark came in the 5th round for a temporary lead. Malaina Payton finished 3rd with 6.43 meters (0.1).
Rilwan Alowonle Jr. competed at the Lee Last Chance Meet in Cleveland, dominating the men’s 400mH, which he won in a SB of 50.47 seconds from Samuel Hartman, 2nd in a time of 51.89 seconds as 3rd went to Daviciea McCartney in 52.51 seconds. He returned back to track minutes after that race to take the men’s 200 meters as well in a Personal Best (PB) of 21.01 seconds.
Rosemary Chukwuma competing at the NJCAA Championships in Texas where she participated in the women’s 100 meters and 200 meters, set four Personal Records en route to winning both titles.
After a preliminary run of 11.35 seconds, she powered to a new PB of 11.26 seconds (1.3) which is the third fastest time by a Nigerian in 2021 to win the title ahead of Ayla Stanisclaus who ran 11.46 seconds and Odell Frye in 11.50 seconds. Moments after that, she would return to the track and again dominate the 200 meters in a time of 23.18 seconds (0.0), again beating Stanisclaus to the title as the latter returned 23.30 seconds while 3rd went to hurdler Hannah Connell in 23.46 seconds.
Before the competition, her teammate Success Umukoro who is primarily known in the short sprints, had only run the quartermile competitively three times but did well to clock a new PB of 53.95 seconds and win the women’s 400 meters in a closely fought battle with Kaleb McDonald who finished in a time of 54.00 seconds. Lashanna Graham was rewarded with 3rd in 54.11 seconds.
Onaara Obamuwagun who also competes for South Plains College, same school as Chukwuma and Umukoro, bounded out to a PB of 13.35 meters for a clutch win in the women’s Triple Jump into a headwind of -2.2m/s. She held off her compatriot Victory George who on the other hand, competes for Iowa Western CC and also leapt a PB of 13.05 meters (0.0) in 2nd.
Competing in her first NJCAA Championships, Central Arizona freshman Princess Kara hurled a mark of 51.56 meters to win the women’s Discus Throw, nosing out Marie Forbes of Cloud County CC who reached 51.47 meters and Santorryna Rallinford in 3rd with a time of 45.74 meters.
Having run a PB of 22.64 seconds in qualification, Favour Ofili was one of the favourites heading into the women’s 200 meters final at the SEC Championships and she delivered on that promise, storming round the track to a time of 22.16 seconds to finish 2nd, her fastest time all-conditions as it was aided by an excessive tailwind of 4.1m/s. Tamara Clark won the race in 21.89 seconds.
Also at the SEC Championships was Isaac Odugbesan who produced an outdoor PB of 20.22 meters to take the men’s Shot Put, surpassing 20 meters in three of his six throws and ensuring that he swept the SEC Shot Put titles but indoors and out. It was also the longest throw in his school by an athlete from his school since 1980.
Yinka Ajayi improved on her SB at the Missouri Valley Championships where she sealed the women’s 400 meters GOLD medal in a time of 53.48 seconds. Her teammate David Olowookere also made an appearance at the meet, smashing his week-old PB with a time of 50.81 seconds to win the men’s 400mH.
National Record holder and NCAA leader, Ruth Usoro was also in fine form at the Big 12 Championships, carting home a Bronze and a GOLD medal at the meet. She finished 3rd in the women’s Long Jump with a mark of 6.60 meters (1.1) and returned a day after to clinch GOLD and a dominant win in the Triple Jump as she broke sand at a Meet and Facility Record of 14.06 meters (1.3) in rainy conditions.
Amarachukwu Obi won the women’s 200 meters at the C-USA Championships in Tennessee, running a time of 23.30 seconds for title and well ahead of her closest counterpart by over half a second. This came minutes after she had run a Season’s Best (SB) of 53.06 seconds to place 2nd in the 400 meters.
On the infield, her teammates Esther Isa and Erhire Best both dazzled in the High Jump, striking GOLD in the event. Isa cleared an equal PB of 1.85 meters for the women’s title, added a Silver medal in the Triple Jump with as she registered a mark of 12.97 meters and a Bronze in the Long Jump with a PB of 6.11 meters. Meanwhile, Best picked up the men’s High Jump title with a mark of 2.18 meters, two centimetres shy of his PB and added a Bronze in the Triple Jump where he set a PB of 15.37 meters.
At the ACC Championships in Raleigh, Kelechi Nwanaga extended her SB to 54.93 meters to win the women’s Javelin Throw, inspiring a 1-2 finish for her school, FSU as her teammate Sara Zabarino followed with 54.48 meters (PB) while 3rd went to Madison Wiltrout who managed 52.98 meters.
