Freshman Akeem Mustapha earned NAIA All-American status in the long jump to place the Point Park track and field team at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Brookings, South Dakota this weekend.
Mustapha, the River States Conference (RSC) Men’s Indoor Field Athlete and Newcomer of the Year, placed sixth in the country with a long jump of 7.31 meters. It was on his third and final attempt in the championship, and it came after he had a jump of 7.17 meters that was just enough to get him into the finals.
His performance earned three points for Point Park, and was just 0.03 meters shy of tying his school record of 7.34 meters.
Mustapha was one of six men’s qualifiers for Point Park, along with four women’s qualifiers. The ten individual qualifiers for the NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships set a program record for Point Park.
Sophomore Chevaughn Fletcher qualified in the weight throw for Point Park, but had three fouls in his attempts this weekend.
Junior Elijah James placed 17th in the country with a time of 1 minute, 20.95 seconds in the 600 meters. This was his second consecutive NAIA nationals appearance.
Freshman Kanye Mills ran a time of 8.41 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles. With this performance, the RSC champion was able to improve upon his seeding coming into the competition.
Freshman Kodi Quimby had a time of 14 minutes, 46.79 seconds in the 3,000 meter racewalk, placing 12th in the country. He also holds the Point Park record in the event at 14 minutes, 37.96 seconds.
Junior Jannik Windelband competed in the 1,000 meters, where he has a school record of 2:29. This was his second NAIA nationals appearance.
On the women’s side, three of the four qualifiers earned NAIA Top 25 recognition and were making their NAIA nationals debuts.
Senior Natalea Hillen had a time of 9.04 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles, placing 27th. This was her second appearance as an individual national qualifier and her third overall.
Junior Sophia Lee-Hauser placed 13th in the NAIA in the 3,000 meter racewalk with a time of 17 minutes, 28.61 seconds. She was the highest-placing women’s player for Point Park.
Senior Allison Plassio placed 14th in the NAIA in the 1,000 meter with a time of 3 minutes, 1.32 seconds.
Freshman Emma Roemer had a 5.18 meter jump in the long jump, good for 23rd in the NAIA. This was her first NAIA qualification.
Overall, it was a very successful indoor track season for the Pioneers. Both the men’s and women’s teams won the RSC Championship: the seventh women’s title in a row and the sixth in seven years for the men. There were also several individual accolades, ten qualifiers for nationals, and head coach Tim Creamer won Coach of the Year.
Up next: The Pioneers open up the outdoor track and field season March 15-16 at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
