Nigerian Collegiate Athletes Shine Across U.S. Indoor Meets
Nigerian athletes continue to make remarkable strides in collegiate athletics, with remarkable performances across multiple events during this season’s U.S. indoor track and field meets. At the McFerrin 12 Degree Invite, the “Tennessee Trio” of Victoria Aransiola, Okpah Elo Blessing, and Faith Okwose impressed in the women’s 60m prelims. Okwose achieved a personal best of 7.43s, securing a spot in the finals alongside Blessing (7.52s), while Aransiola clocked a respectable 7.60s. Okwose is currently ranked third overall, with the fastest prelim time of 7.39s belonging to Baylor freshman Royaltee Brown.
In field events, Laura Odiwvri delivered an outstanding performance at the Commodore Challenge in Vanderbilt. The Middle Tennessee State University sophomore recorded a personal best of 5.70m in the long jump, earning third place. Known primarily as a high jump specialist, Odiwvri also boasts a triple jump college PR of 12.14m, demonstrating her versatility. Meanwhile, at the Nevada Silver & Blue Invite, Meekness Dogonyaro made a strong start to her sophomore year with a leap of 12.83m in the women’s triple jump, securing second place. Dogonyaro’s consistency puts her within reach of the 13 meter mark, with her current personal best at 12.89m.
On the track, the 2022 Nigerian 400m national champion, Edidiong Udo, debuted his collegiate career at Ohio State University in spectacular fashion. Udo clinched victory in the men’s 600m at the UK Rod McCravy meet with an impressive time of 1:16.77. Joy Nwokike also turned heads with her dominant performance, posting a season best 54.56s to win heat 2 of the women’s 400m, placing second overall behind UCF’s Kiah Williams (54.46s). Nwokike added to her accolades by clocking 23.94s in the women’s 200m, the second fastest time in the meet.
A standout moment came from Consider Ekanem, a freshman sensation at the McFerrin 12 Degree Invite. Ekanem delivered a scorching 6.57s to claim victory in the men’s 60m final, tying for the second fastest collegiate time this season. His electrifying debut hints at immense potential as he embarks on his collegiate journey. Similarly, Magdalene George made history for Wolfpack Track by breaking the school record for the women’s 60m for the third time in two months, posting a blistering 7.27s at the Nevada Silver & Blue Invite.
Other notable performances came from Nigeria’s Adaobi Tabugbo and Eseroghene Awusa in the 60m hurdles. At the UK Rod McCravy meet, Adaobi Tabugbo clocked 8.24s to win her heat and advance to the semifinals, while Awusa smashed her personal record with an 8.35s finish, also advancing. Adaobi Tabugbo later placed second in the final with her third fastest career time of 8.20s. Nigerian athletes are setting the stage for a thrilling 2025 indoor season.
@Ese
