Championship Central
Final Meet Results
 
DENTON – Rice won their first women’s title since 2016 and Charlotte captured the men’s title for the fifth consecutive year at the 2023 Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the University of North Texas Track and Field Stadium on Sunday
 
The Owls won the team championship with a 187-point total, which marks the highest point margin since 1998 (Houston, 218.5). Charlotte was in second with 146.5 points, and UTSA earned third place (111). 
 
The 49ers’ posted a total of 184, which also was the highest point margin for the men since 2010 (Houston, 191), while UTSA was the runner-up with 150.5 points and Rice finished third (120.5 points). 
 
Women’s Final Awards 
Team Champion: Rice
Team Runner-Up: Charlotte
Coach of the Year: Jim Bevan, Rice 
Freshman of the Meet: Faith Nyathi, Middle Tennessee
High Point Scorer of the Meet: Niesha Burgher, UTEP 
 
Men’s Final Awards 
Team Champion: Charlotte 
Team Runner-Up: UTSA
Coach of the Year: Bob Olesen, Charlotte
Freshman and High Point Scorer of the Meet: Victor Kibiego, UTEP 
 
Field events began the final day of competition. North Texas junior KeAyla Dove took home the women’s shot put as she smashed a meet record that has stood since 2008 (Susan King, Memphis) with a throw of 18.95m (62-02.25) on her last attempt. Her mark currently moves her up to No. 3 in the nation and No. 7 in the world. Erna Gunnarsdottir of Rice placed second with a mark of 16.96m (55-07.75), while Dove’s teammate Jaleisha Shaffer took bronze with a 15.92m (51-11). 
 
UTSA’s Dylan James claimed gold as he leaped to a mark of 15.49m (50-10.00) on his third attempt. Teammate Jacob Jenkins took silver recording a leap of 15.31m, and FIU’s Queshun Watson-Riggins won his second bronze medal of the championship with a mark of 15.28m (50-01.75) 
 
In the men’s javelin, North Texas’ Zion Hill won first place with a throw of 67.53m (221-06). Teammate Vitus Hansgaard earned second with a mark of 63.85m (209-05), and FIU’s freshman Cole Crkvenac placed third with a 62.39m (204-08). 
 
UTEP’s Arianne Morais won gold in the women’s javelin with a throw of 54.65m (179-03). Rice’s McKyla Van Der Westhuizen took silver as the freshman had a mark of 54.29m (177-09). FIU’s Hannah Jansen earned bronze with his 50.26m (164-10) mark. 
 
FIU’s Filippa Miller recorded a new C-USA meet record for the women’s pole vault with a clearance of 4.35m (14-03.25) on her first attempt. Her mark moves her up to No. 12 in the nation. Charlotte’s Riley Felts took silver with a mark of 4.25m (14-07.25), while FIU’s Nicole Janse Van Rensburg took bronze with a 3.95m (12-11.50) clearance.
 
In men’s shot put, Rice’s Sam Welsh earned his second gold of the Championship with his winning mark of 17.63m (57-10.25). UTSA’s Jabari Bennett placed second with a throw of 17.44m (57-02.75), while Elian Ahmar of Rice finished third with a 17.43m (57-02.75) mark. 
 
For the women’s triple jump, Oreoluwa Adamson of UTSA claimed her second gold of the meet with a leap of 12.69mm (41-07.75). Savannah Simms of Rice placed second with a mark of 12.68m (41-07.25). Teammate Ginnie Okafor earned bronze on her fourth attempt at 12.67m (41-07.00). 
 
WKU’s Katie Isenbarger took the women’s high jump title with a clearance of 1.79m (5-10.50). She also won the event at the 2023 C-USA Indoor Championships. Sophomore Josie Taylor of Rice placed second with a clearance of 1.79m (5-10.50), while FIU’s Celia Rifaterra won bronze with a 1.70m (5-07.00) mark. 
 
In the first running event Sunday, the women’s 4x100 relay, Charlotte took first place in 44.53s, while UTSA claimed first for the men in 39.59s. 
 
Rice’s Alyssa Balandran won the 1,500-meter crown in 4:33.75, teammate Taigen Hunter-Galvan placed second in 4:34.11, and Charlotte’s Lauren Johnston placed third in 4:35.50. Charlotte’s Alec Esposito took gold for the men’s, crossing the line in 3:44.29, while teammate Maddon Muhammad came in close second with a time of 3:44.43, and Victor Kibiego took third in 3:44.59. 
 
In the women’s 100m hurdles UTEP’s Marissa Simpson took gold with a time of 13.27. UTSA’s Alanah Yukich clocked a 13.65 to earn silver while UAB’s Kat Duren won bronze with her time of 13.71.
The men’s 110m hurdles was dominated by Middle Tennessee’s Stephen Eloji who started his double-gold medal day by breaking the meet record with time of 13.50s. He then went on to win the 400m hurdle in 52.65s. Eloji currently ranks No. 18 in the nation in the 110m hurdles. UTSA’s Bashiru Abdullahi was the 110m hurdles silver medalist with a time of 13.71s and UTEP’s Jordani Woodley placed third with a time of 14.00s.  
 
Winning silver in the men’s 400m hurdles, North Texas’ Jordan Coates-McBride with a time of 52.74s and WKUs Zack Martinez placed third clocking 52.95. On the women’s side, Alanah Yukich repeated as the gold medalist crossing the line in 57.55. UTEP’s Loubna Benhadja earned silver clocking a time of 58.17s, while Savannah Simms took bronze in 1:00.19. 
 
The 2023 C-USA women’s indoor 400m champion from Charlotte, Maya Singletary won the event crown in 52.03. She was followed by Middle Tennessee’s Leonie Beu who clocked a time of 54.33 and UTEP’s Zani Meaders (54.50). On the men’s side, another indoor champion took the gold medal again as UTSA’s Michael Roth crossed first in 46.80. UTEP’s Joshua Hill placed second in 47.18, while Charlotte’s Donny Lee took bronze with a time of 47.29. 
 
UTEP had a 1-2 finish as it came down to milliseconds to determine the first and second place finishes.  Niesha Burgher claimed gold clocking a time of 11.34 (11.332), while Denae McFarlane had a time of 11.34 (11.337). Rice’s Kennedy Gamble placed third in 11.50s. 
 
Middle Tennessee’s Alaba Akintola had a double-gold medal day for the second consecutive year in a row. He started the day with an outstanding finish in the 100m race clocking 10.05s. He then went on to cross first in the 200m race, clocking a time of 20.43s. Akintola currently ranks No. 8 in the nation in the 100m and No. 12 in the 200m. North Texas’ Karlington Anunagba placed second in the 100m in 10.20s, followed by Louisiana Tech’s Rodney Heath Jr. with a time of 10.24s. 
 
Claiming the silver medal in the men’s 200m, UTSA’s Brice Chabot clocked a time of 20.95s, while Jamie Sancho of Louisiana Tech placed third in 21.00s. Charlotte’s Ta-Halia Fairman repeated as the women’s 200m champion with a time of 23.05. UTEP’s Niesha Burgher (23.26) and Kennedy Gamble (23.59) earned their second medals of the day as they placed second and third respectively. 
 
This year’s 800m women’s champion was 2022 bronze medalist, Jessica Lambert of Florida Atlantic finishing in 2:06.95. She was followed by Rice’s Alyssa Balandran, who earned her second medal of the meet in 2:08.05 and teammate Taigen Hunter-Galvan in 2:09.08.
 
UTEP’s Yusuf Mohamud was men’s 800m champion crossing the finish line in 1:51.17. Middle Tennessee’s Brian Rono and Habtamu Geta rounded out the top three, as Rono finished in 1:51.43 and Geta in 1:51.51. 
 
In the final two individual races of the night, the 5,000 crowned Middle Tennessee’s Faith Nyathi as the champion with a time of 16:50.26. Lina Spjut of Rice placed second clocking a time of 16:51.73, while Charlotte’s Lauren Johnston took third in 16:59.08. 
 
On the men’s side, Charlotte’s Nick Scudder broke his own conference meet record to earn first place with a 13:51.64 finish. UTEP’s Victor Kibiego took silver with a time of 14:08.37 and Charlotte’s Hunter Whiteplaced third in 14:15.85. 
 
In the final events of the meet, UTEP’s women’s 4x400 relay team ran 3:38.87 to win gold, while Charlotte’s men finished first in 3:09.76. 
 
Niesha Burgher of UTEP was the Women’s High Point Scorer of the Meet with 22.5 points and Middle Tennessee’s Faith Nyathi was the Freshman of the Meet. UTEP’s Victor Kibiego became the first student-athlete to claim Men’s High Point Scorer and Freshman of the Meet honors after earning 24 points. 
 
The 2023 NCAA preliminary meets run May 24-27, 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 18. The 2023 NCAA Championships will be held June 7-10 at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas.