MEET RECAP: 2021 NCAA DII Outdoor T&F Championships

Champions were crowned at the 2021 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, held this past weekend at the GVSU Lacrosse/Track & Field Stadium in Allendale, Michigan.

You couldn’t have asked for a better weekend of competition.

Well, maybe some better weather.

There were all sorts of weather conditions in Allendale, but that didn’t stop the athletes from throwing down incredible performances. Once it was all said and done, Grand Valley State‘s men and Azusa Pacific‘s women were crowned team champions, each capturing their first NCAA Outdoor titles in program history.

Men’s Recap

Grand Valley State wasn’t going to be denied standing atop the podium in front of their home crowd.

The Lakers were tied at 55 a piece with the Buffs through 19 events. The Buffs ran out of scoring opportunities with no one entered in the 5K and no team in the 4×400 relay, while the Lakers had three athletes in the 5K and a 4×400 team left. If the Lakers scored at least one point going forward, they would take home the trophy.

Isaac Harding sealed the win for the Lakers as he took home the crown in the 5K in 14:13.78. Enael Woldemichael and Tanner Chada also finished sixth and seventh, respectively, to give the Lakers a total of 15 points to bring them to 70.

The Lakers’s 4×400 relay was icing on the cake as they won the first of two heats in 3:10.09 and finished third overall, giving the Lakers their final six points.

The distance crew combined for 52 of the team’s 76 points, scoring in the 800 (14), 5K (15), 10K (15) and steeplechase (8). The Lakers also had two athletes score finish 2-3 in the 400H for 14 points.

Runner-up West Texas A&M had a valiant effort throughout the meet and left with three event crowns. Benjamin Azamati did Benjamin Azamati things, which included two national titles in the 100 (10.02) and 200 (20.23), and anchoring the second place 4×100 (39.82). Butare Rugenerwa also edged out Dennis Mbuta of Grand Valley State to win the 800 by 0.01 seconds, 1:49.46 to 1:49.47.

Azamati continues to rewrite the NCAA DII all-time list in the 100. His 10.02 winner and 10.04 in the prelims give him the top-5 marks in divisional history.

Angelo State had one event winner in Devoux Deysel, who won the javelin Saturday morning with a monster throw of 75.54m (247-10). That effort is the eighth-best mark in NCAA DII history. The Rams also had runner-up finishes in the pole vault and hammer throw.

The race for the fourth and final podium spot ended in a tie between Pittsburg State and Ashland at 37 points.

The Eagles were on the outside looking in and received a spark from Channing Phillips, who won the 400 in 46.41 and picking up 10 important points to bring their total to 27. Their only remaining event of the meet was the 4×400 relay and needed to win to keep their podium hopes alive. Trevor Bassitt made sure that happened, anchoring the relay to victory in 3:09.38 with a 45.42 split. Those 10 points moved Ashland from ninth into a tie for fourth place in the team standings.

The Gorillas had several top performances in the field events, including three men finishing in the top-8 in the javelin. Joshua Hudiburg finished second to Deysel with a throw of 72.18m (236-10), making him the No. 11 performer all-time in NCAA DII.

Other notable performances came from Rajindra Campbell, who  won the shot put title with a heave of 19.99m (65-7), just missing the 20 meter barrier. That effort moves him into a tie for the fifth-best performer in NCAA DII history. Campbell also won the discus the day before with his throw of 55.98m (183-8). In the hammer throw, Austin Combs of Findlay set a meet record twice in the competition. His second round attempt of 71.23m (233-8) surpassed the old meet record of 70.74 set by Ryan Loughney back in 2012, then threw 71.99m (236-2) in his final attempt of the competition.

Women’s Recap

Just like their counterparts, the women’s team race came down to the final few events of the competition.

As the meet was heading into the 5K, Azusa Pacific held a 76-66 advantage over Grand Valley State. Jennifer Sandoval placed fourth for the Cougars, while the Lakers had finishers in fifth and seventh to keep them within striking distance heading into the 4×400.

It’s now Azusa Pacific, 81. Grand Valley State, 72.

The Cougars sit and watch the 4×400 as they did not have a relay and the Lakers did. Grand Valley State needed to win the relay to win the national championship, otherwise the Cougars would be taking a team title back with them to Azusa, California.

The Cougars held on to win their first national championship as the Lakers finished fourth in the 4×400.

It was a balanced attack for Azusa Pacific, scoring sprints, distance, jumps, throws and multis. The Cougars claimed three individual event crowns from Mechaela Hyacinth in the 100 (11.67), Jaylah Walker in the 400H (57.29) and Chinenye Agina in the high jump (1.85m/6-0¾). The heptathlon was the biggest point haul for the team with 13 points as three athletes finished in the top-7, including a 3-4 finish from Nichole Warwick and Meagan Warwick.

Walker and Agina also made DII history. Walker’s 400H effort makes her the ninth-best performer on the all-time chart, while Agina improved upon her No. 11 billing.

Grand Valley State wasn’t going to go away quietly, especially on their home turf. Leading the Lakers with national titles were Judith Essemiah in the hammer throw (62.62m/205-5), Nicole Sreenan in the 400 (53.48) and the 4×100 relay (44.86), who came from behind to edge Minnesota State by 0.01 seconds. The Lakers also earned 11 points in the 1500 after a 3-4 finish from Allie Ludge and Klaudia O’Malley.

West Texas A&M had a strong outing to finish third in the team standings. Zada Swoopes had a busy weekend, as she was a two-time winner after completing the discus-shot put double and finishing fifth in the hammer. Swoopes won the discus on Friday with a throw of 53.49m (175-6) before coming back to take the shot put at 17.59m (57-8½) for the second-best mark all-time in NCAA DII history. She also broke the meet record of 17.54m (57-6½) set by Adriane Blewitt in 2003. 

Another top performer for the Lady Buffs was Taylor Nelloms with a wind-aided 13.29m (43-7¼) winner in the triple jump. Nelloms, who already had the second-best all-conditions mark in NCAA DII history, added the sixth-best with that effort.

Adams State finished fourth in the team standings with all 46 points coming in the mid-distance/distance events. Eilish Flanagan was dominant in the steeplechase on Friday with her winning time of 9:57.44, while Stephanie Cotter claimed the 1500 title in 4:14.96. Eilish Flanagan and Roisin Flangan also finished 2-3 in the 5000.

Ida Narbuvoll of U-Mary had an impressive weekend as she rolled to the 5K-10K double. Narbuvoll first won the 10K on Thursday evening in 33:36.59 to win by more than 30 seconds. She then came back on Saturday to win the 5K in 15:37.50, demolishing the old meet record of 15:59.34 set by Julie Bower in 1985 by more than 21 seconds. Narbuvoll’s effort also makes her the second-fastest performer in NCAA DII history in the event.

Other all-time efforts came from Danielle Collier of Slippery Rock and Bailey Sharon of Western Colorado. Collier notched a Round 3 heave in the javelin of 53.18m (174-6) to make her the eighth-best performer in NCAA DII history. Sharon set a new facility record on her way to winning the 800 in 2:04.23, putting her into a tie for the eighth-best performer on the all-time chart.