Outstanding Performers of the 2023 NCAA DIII Outdoor T&F Championships

NEW ORLEANS – Outstanding Performers of the Championships from the 2023 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships were announced on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Men’s honors went to Sam Blaskowski of UW-La Crosse and Yakob Ekoue of UW-Eau Claire on the track and in the field, respectively, while Michelle Kwafo of Coast Guard and Victoria Kadiri of Johns Hopkins stood out for the women in those respective venues.

Each year, the USTFCCCA honors the Outstanding Performers of the Championships at both the NCAA DIII Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Winners are determined using a formula that adds together team points scored, plus meet records (five additional points), Division III seasonal bests (three additional points) and facility records (one point). Relay points, if applicable, are split equally among the four team members.

Blaskowski, the Most Outstanding Men’s Track Performer of the Championships, totaled 32.75 points using the above formula. He amassed 20.5 team points thanks to a victory in the 100 meters, a runner-up showing in the 200 meters and a carry on the winning 4×100 relay. On top of that, Blaskowski set a meet record (five points), seasonal best (three points) and two facility records (two points) in the 100. Blaskowski added 2.25 more points to that total thanks to being part of the record-setting 4×100 relay across the board.

Ekoue, the Most Outstanding Men’s Field Performer of the Championships, scored 25 points using the above formula. Twenty-four points came from team points alone, as he won the shot put, finished runner-up in the discus and took third in the hammer. Nestled in the middle of that success was a facility record in the discus of 56.55m (185-6) that was later topped.

Kwafo, the Most Outstanding Women’s Track Performer of the Championships, totaled 33 points using the above formula. Eighteen points came from team points, as she won the 100 meters and finished runner-up in the 100-meter hurdles. The remaining 15 points were all compiled in the 100, where she set two meet records (ten points), one seasonal best (three points) and two facility records (two points).

Kadiri, the Most Outstanding Women’s Field Performer of the Championships, totaled 31 points using the above formula. A sweep of the horizontal jumps and an eighth-place finish in the heptathlon gave her 21 team points, while a meet record (five points), seasonal best (five points) and facility record in the triple jump added nine more to the tally and a facility record in the long jump tacked on one more.