UTEP’s Nyambui Goes 7-For-7 Outdoors

7-for-7.

Suleiman Nyambui of UTEP racked up NCAA titles like clockwork. He never lost a race at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, winning four consecutive at 10,000 meters from 1979 to 1982, plus three consecutive at 5000 meters from 1980 to 1982.

When Nyambui won his fourth title in a row at 10,000 meters in 1982, he was smiling with four fingers held high as he crossed the finish line. And three years earlier, he set the still-standing meet record of 28:01.30 in a race where three men went sub-28:10.00 (No other final had that much depth since, but there are several which had two men under that barrier).

The Tanzanian was as dominant as his team.

The Miners won team titles all four years Nyambui was on campus and completed the rare Triple Crown three years in a row, having won NCAA team titles indoors and during the cross country season. The only year that UTEP didn’t win the Triple Crown with Nyambui on its roster was in 1979 when it lost by one point to Villanova.

Indoors he also won seven titles and is a four-time mile champion (only Jim Ryun has as many as three). Add in a cross country win and his 15 individual NCAA D1 titles is the most (Edward Cheserek later tied that and has the overall best with 17).

Nyambui was cognizant of criticism that he was older (29 as a senior) and more experienced than much of his competition. He told Jon Hendershott of Track & Field News: “I have to say that I don’t think it is especially good for a young American kid to have to come out of high school, to college, and have to compete against me. But we also have to understand that this is a chance for everyone to learn, in the race and out. The American guys will learn from competing against me and other Africans and they will get better, too.”