SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – Charlotte swept the 2022 Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships as the 49ers won both the men’s and women’s titles Sunday night at Park West Athletics Complex. Charlotte swept for the second time in the last three championships having also done it in 2019.
The final team and individual awards were as follows:
Women’s Awards
Team Champion: Charlotte
Team Runner-Up: UTSA
Freshman of the Meet: Thennelle Williams, UTSA
High Point Scorer of the Meet: Ta-Halia Fairman, Charlotte
Men’s Awards
Team Champion: Charlotte
Team Runner-Up: UTEP
Freshman of the Meet: Grant Levesque, Rice
High Point Scorer of the Meet: Nick Scudder, Charlotte
The last field events started the final day of the meet.
Men’s triple jump action saw UTSA freshman
Jemuel Miller complete the indoor/outdoor gold medal sweep as he leaped a wind-aided 16.07m (52-8.75). The Roadrunners went 1-2 on the podium as teammate
Grant Szalek, who finished third in the high jump on Saturday, posted a 15.71m (51-6.5) to earn silver. After finishing third in the long jump yesterday, FIU’s
Queshun Watson-Riggins jumped 15.33m (50-3.5) for his second All-Conference honor of the meet.
Middle Tennessee graduate student
Esther Isa won her second gold medal of the championships as she captured the triple jump title as she posted a season-best and stadium record wind-legal leap of 13.37m (43-10.5). The mark also puts her in the top 20 nationally. UTSA’s
Danielle Spence came in second after recording her best jump on her last attempt coming in at 13.15m (43-1.75). Middle Tennessee pulled in the bronze medal as well with
Abigail Kwarteng clearing 13.03m (42-9) on her third jump.
Rice continued its run of first place field finishes making it four overall on the meet as senior
James McNaney won the men’s javelin with a season-best throw of 69.13m (226-10), which is also the best throw by a C-USA athlete this year and ranks in the top 35 nationally. North Texas’
Vitus Hansgaard earned silver with his throw of 64.66m (212-02) while Louisiana Tech’s
William Terral finished third with a 62.06m (203-07).
In the women’s javelin, the C-USA leader all season,
Rhema Otabor of FIU, took home gold for the second-straight year as she recorded a toss of 52.19m (171-2), which is the best mark at the C-USA Championships since 2009. Charlotte’s
Elizabeth Bailey threw for 51.09m (167-7) while UTEP’s
Arianne Morais earned bronze with her throw of 49.19m (161-4).
Two-time C-USA Athlete of the Week
Fred Moudani of Southern Miss took home gold in the shot put with a throw of 19.21 (63-02.5) to become the first Golden Eagle to win the shot put since 2009 (Aaron Ammons) and second overall in C-USA history. Rice’s
Elian Ahmar went for 17.54 (57-6.5) to earn silver and FIU’s
Desmond Dorceus tossed 17.28m (56-8.5) for bronze for the second-straight year.
Rice’s
Erna Gunnarsdottir won her second career gold medal in the outdoor shot put and completed the indoor/outdoor sweep of the event as she recorded a stadium-record throw of 17.15m (56-3.25), a mark just under six feet ahead of second place. It is her fourth career C-USA title. UTSA’s
Zoe Shanklin had a huge PR to finish second with a throw of 15.36m (50-4.75) while Southern Miss’
Jordan Speer also PR’d by almost two feet with her 15.29m (50-2) to finish third.
In the women’s pole vault, senior
Anna Massa repeated as the champion as she cleared 4.23m (13-10.5) which is the highest clearance in the league championship since the record was set in 2014 by Neal Tisher, also of UAB. The mark is the best by a C-USA athlete this season and a season best for Massa. FIU’s Filippa Miller won silver with her 4.18m (13-8.5) clearance and Sarah Brown of Charlotte took home bronze with a 4.08m (13-4.5)
Middle Tennessee won its second women’s field event of the day as
Abigail Kwarteng cleared 1.79m (5-10.5) to win her first C-USA high jump title and become the second-straight Blue Raider to bring home the crown. Kwarteng also finished third in the triple jump earlier in the day. Rice freshman
Josie Taylor came in second clearing a height of 1.76m (5-9.25) and WKU’s
Grace Turner took bronze with a 1.73m (5-8) clearance.
In the first running event Sunday, the 4x100 relay, North Texas’ men edged UTSA by a hundredth of a second to take first place in 39.56 while Southern Miss’ squad finished in 45.84 for the title.
The 2022 C-USA indoor mile champion from UTEP,
Kenneth Talavera, won the 1,500m crown in 3:49.40 to become the third Miner to win the event in C-USA history. He was followed by Middle Tennessee’s
Hillary Kimaiyo (3:49.51) and UTEP teammate
Daniel Bernal (3:49.71). Middle Tennessee senior
Eusilia Chepkemei started her medal day with the women’s 1,500m crown, crossing the line in 4:21.22. UTEP’s
Carolyne Chepkosgei came in second in 4:23.02 while Southern Miss’
Sandra Szpott finished with the bronze in a time of 4:25.20.
The men’s 110m hurdles was blazing fast as UTSA’s
Bashuri Abdullahi not only set a stadium and UTSA record but broke the C-USA 18-year meet record as he took gold with a time of 13.53, which is also tied for the 10
th fastest time in the nation. Charlotte’s
Justin Leaston was just behind as he finished in 13.55, which also was faster than the previous stadium and meet record as he earned silver. Middle Tennessee’s
Stephen Eloji came in third with his 13.84.
In the women’s 100m hurdles UTEP’s
Maribel Caicedo took gold with a time of 13.53 becoming the first Miner since 2017 to win the event. UAB’s
Kat Duren clocked a 13.59 to earn silver while Marshall’s
Ashonti Warner won bronze with her time of 13.68.
UTEP’s
Jevaughn Powell, who finished second in the 400m at this year’s indoor meet, went on to take gold at the outdoor meet with a 46.02. Charlotte teammates
Donny Lee and
Kobe Nevills rounded out the top three as Lee crossed in 47.08 and Nevills finished just after in 47.39. On the women’s side, Charlotte’s
Maya Singletary defended her 2021 title as she posted a 52.09 making her the first repeat 400m champion since Lana Garner of Tulane won in 1998 and 1999. Marshall’s
Mikah Alleyne took silver with her 53.23 and Middle Tennessee’s
Glory Nyenke finished in 54.30 for bronze.
Middle Tennessee standout
Alaba Akintola started his double-gold medal day by winning the 100m dash in a C-USA meet record time of 10.04, which is the eighth-fastest time in the nation this season and a personal best. He followed that by winning the 200m dash in a stadium-record time of 20.36, which ranks in the top 20 nationally. He also swept the indoor 60m and 200m and now has four gold medals in his first year with the Blue Raiders.
Winning silver in the men’s 100m was North Texas’
Karlington Anunagba who broke a Mean Green school record with his time of 10.18. Southern Miss’
Elijah Miller ran his way onto the podium with a third-place finish of 10.24.
The women’s side saw a 100-200m sweep as well with Charlotte’s
Ta-Halia Fairman taking both gold medals back home. The sophomore, who also won the indoor 200 earlier this year, raced to a time of 11.48 in the 100 and clocked a 23.34 in the 200 to complete the day. She is the first C-USA athlete to win both events since Janet Amponsah of MTSU did in 2017. Fairman also ran a leg of Charlotte’s winning 4x400m relay and second-place 4x100m relay.
The women’s 100m silver medalist was UTSA freshman
Thennelle Williams as she finished in 11.53 while Southern Miss sophomore
Kenia Seals won bronze with her 11.55.
This year’s 800m men’s champion was
Maxwell Kipkosgei of UTEP as he finished in 1:52.91 becoming the Miners’ sixth 800m champion in C-USA history. Charlotte’s
Zach Beale clocked a 1:53.22 for silver and Middle Tennessee’s
Habtamu Geta finished in 1:53.64 for bronze.
The women’s champion in the 800m, picking up her second gold medal of the day, was Middle’s
Eusila Chepkemei, who already had won the 1,500m. Chepkemei finished in 2:06.14 and earned her sixth gold medal of this season after winning the 800m, mile, 3,000m and the DMR at the indoor championships. She was followed by UTEP’s
Carolyne Chepkosgei in 2:07.08 and FAU’s
Jessica Lambert in 2:09.31.
In the second hurdles race of the day, Middle Tennessee’s
Stephen Eloji used a fast kick down the back stretch of the 400m hurdles to overtake Southern Miss’
Landon Chalden by three hundredths of a second. Eloji clocked a 51.42 for the gold while Chalden finished in 51.45. UTEP’s
Ned Azemia came in third with a 51.60.
The women’s 400m hurdles came down to the wire with UTSA’s
Alanah Yukich diving over the finish line to take first in 57.93. Marshall’s
Ashonti Warner finished just after her with a 58.04 for silver and UTEP’s
Loubna Benhadja won bronze with her 58.63.
Rounding out the women’s 200m race behind Fairman was Southern Miss’
Kenia Seals with a 23.54 for silver and LA Tech’s
Makayla Edwards clocked a 23.80 for third.
In the final two individual races of the night, the 5,000m saw another Charlotte 1-2-3- sweep with the same three student-athletes that claimed the 10,000m Saturday night. All three ran stadium record times led by
Paul Arredondo’s 14:20.31.
Nick Scudder, the 2022 C-USA 10k Champion, came in second with a 14:20.39 while
Hunter White finished in 14:24.47.
In the final events of the meet, Charlotte men’s 4x400 relay team ran 3:10.79 to win gold, and the 49ers completed the sweep as the women won the 4x400 with a 3:36.90.
Ta-Halia Fairman of Charlotte was the Women’s High Point Scorer of the Meet with 24.5 points and UTSA’s
Thennelle Williams was named the Freshman of the Meet. Charlotte’s
Nick Scudder was named the men’s high point scorer earning 28 points and Rice’s
Grant Levesque was this year’s male Freshman of the Meet.
The 2022 NCAA preliminary meets run May 25-28, 2022. Both the DI men's and women's preliminaries are held simultaneously with selections for individual contestants and relay teams being made on May 19. The 2022 NCAA Championships will be held June 8-11 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.