Brown and Deutsch to Compete at USATF Outdoor Championships

EUGENE, Ore. – Texas A&M University-Commerce will be well represented at the 2022 Toyota USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships at the historic Hayward Field this weekend. 

Lion alum Joe Brown (Mansfield), the 2019 NCAA Division II Men’s Discus Champion, competes in the discus on Thursday at 5:45 pacific time, and Nicholas Deustch (Frisco), a rising sophomore at A&M-Commerce, races in the Under-20 men’s steeplechase race on Saturday at 5:13 pm Pacific Time. 

Brown’s career-best mark of 205 feet and 5.4 inches (62.62m) ranks eighth in the field. Although his first time competing in the USATF Outdoor Championships, he competed in the USA Track & Field Olympic Trials last year. 

Deustch’s season-best time in his freshman campaign was 9:29.31, the 13th among the racers competing on Saturday. It is also his first time competing at the national championships. 

Fans can follow along to Brown’s throw in the men’s discus HERE and Deustch’s time in the men’s steeplechase HERE. A live subscriber-only webcast is also available on USATF.tv.

33 Lions receive USTFCCCA All-Region honors

NEW ORLEANS – Thirty-three student-athletes from the Texas A&M University-Commerce student-athletes track & field team has received All-South Central Region honors by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for their efforts this season. 

Lion National Champions Moaz Ibrahim (Cairo, Egypt), Ushan Perera (Mahabage, Sri Lanka), Candesha Scott (St. David, Grenada), J.T. Smith (Klein Oak), Minna Svaerd (Karlstad, Sweden) highlight the all-region selections 

Smith, Cameron Macon (Dallas – Carter), Delan Edwin (Castries, Saint Lucia), Sofia Khenfar (Lyon, France), Naomi Ndukwe (Perserville, France), Mariana Shostak (Lviv, Ukraine), and Svaerd reached an all-region status in multiple events.

2022 USTFCCCA OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD ALL-SOUTH CENTRAL REGION
MEN

Name	Event
Delan Edwin	4×100 Relay
Delan Edwin	100 Meters
Delan Edwin	200 Meters
Trayveon Franklin	Triple Jump
Moaz Ibrahim	Discus
Chandler King	Long Jump
Justin Lewis	High Jump
Cameron Macon	4×100 Relay
Cameron Macon	110 Meter Hurdles
Andre Norman	4×100 Relay
Ushan Perera	High Jump
Elmar Schutte	Pole Vault
J.T. Smith	4×100 Relay
J.T. Smith	100 Meters
J.T. Smith	200 Meters
Dodley Thermitus	Triple Jump
Maxime Woirin	400 Meter Hurdles

WOMEN

Name	Event
Francesca Aquillino	4×100 Relay
Ashley Benton	4×100 Relay
Sofia Khenfar	4×400 Relay
Sofia Khenfar	4×100 Relay
Naomi Ndukwe	4×400 Relay
Naomi Ndukwe	400 Meter Hurdles
Cassandra Rendon	Javelin
Candesha Scott	Javelin
Julia Seigerroth	100 Meter Hurdles
Mariana Shostak	4×400 Relay
Mariana Shostak	4×100 Relay
Mariana Shostak	400 Meters
Tamara Susa	Javelin
Minna Svaerd	4×400 Relay
Minna Svaerd	400 Meter Hurdles
Minna Svaerd	Pole Vault

Iniuto Ukpong earns CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, first track & field athlete since 1994

AUSTIN – Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s track and field scholar-athlete Iniuto Ukpong has been appointed as a Third Team Academic All-American, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Ukpong is the second-ever track and field athlete in school history to receive Academic All-America honors. 

Ukpong (Arlington – Mansfield Summit) just completed her final season in the blue and gold, specializing in the throws. She has received all-conference honors in both the outdoor and indoor seasons, throwing both the hammer and the shot put. This past season, she also received Lone Star Conference All-Academic honors for both portions and was named the LSC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Academic Athlete of the Year. 

“Iniuto is very deserving of this award. She has worked tremendously hard over the course of her career, both academically and athletically,” said coach George Pincock. “It is really special to see her getting this award to end her career. She is going to move on to bigger and better things, and this is going to make her resume even better than it already is!” 

Health, kinesiology, and sports studies major, Ukpong has received President’s List honors four times, recognized as a Best in Class scholar three times, and named to the Lion Honor Roll three times. 

She is the first women’s track and field student-athlete to receive CoSIDA Academic All-America honors since Tammy Scott in 1994 and the fourth Lion this year to receive the recognition joining Alex Shillow from the football team, Madison Schaefer from the softball team, and Sophie-Charlott Hempel from the women’s golf team. 

The four honorees this year match 2018 for most in a single year in school history. Since 1972, A&M-Commerce has received 22 CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.

2021-22 ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA ® TEAM WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY NCAA DIVISION II
FIRST TEAM

Name	School	Yr.	Major
Chin Agina	Azusa Pacific	Gr.	Kinesiology (U) / Public Health (G)
Alison Andrews-Paul	Simon Fraser	Gr.	Public Health (G)
Zoe Baker	Colorado School of Mines	Sr.	Computer Science / Applied Mathematics & Statistics
Rachel Bredeson	Cedarville	Gr.	Pharmaceutical Science
Ashlan Burton	Central Missouri	Gr.	Kinesiology
Taryn Christy	Illinois Springfield	Sr.	Political Science
Kayla Goodwin	Central Missouri	So.	Kinesiology
Maddie James	West Chester	Gr.	Biology (U) / Biology (G)
Kaylee Jensen	Minnesota State Mankato	Sr.	Biology / Biochemistry / Gender & Women’s Studies / Psychology
Riley McGrath	Colorado Colorado Springs	So.	Business
Hannah Miller	Colorado School of Mines	Jr.	Quantitative Biosciences & Engineering
Rachel Miller	Ashland	Gr.	Public Relations & Strategic Communication (U) / MBA (G)
D’Andra Morris	Mary	Gr.	Business Administration / Marketing (U) / MBA (G)
Natalia Novak	Academy of Art	Sr.	Communications & Media Technologies
Arika Robinson	Concordia-St. Paul	Sr.	Nursing

SECOND TEAM

Name	School	Yr.	Major
Ukeyvia Beckwith	Embry-Riddle (Fla.)	Gr.	Aerospace & Occupational Safety (U) / MBA (G)
Casey Berberich	Maryville	Gr.	Physical Therapy (G)
Josie Coffey	Colorado Mesa	So.	Political Science
Anna Ebersole	Cal U. Pennsylvania	Sr.	Criminal Justice
Annika Esvelt	Seattle Pacific	So.	Applied Human Biology
Divonne Franklin	Cal U. Pennsylvania	Sr.	Biology
Laia Gonzalez	Central Missouri	Gr.	Big Data Analytics
Marisa Gwinner	Tiffin	Sr.	Digital Media & Design
Mica Jenrette	Colorado Mesa	Sr.	Sociology
Brea Perron	Minnesota State Mankato	Sr.	Psychology / Communication Disorders
Rachel Rairdon	Augustana	Sr.	Spanish / Modern Foreign Languages / Accounting & Finance
Rebekah Rairdon	Augustana	Sr.	Business & Accounting
Haley Schaller	Clarion	Gr.	Speech Language Pathology (G)
Johanna Wistokat	Christian Brothers	Sr.	Business Administration
Kayla Zink	Colorado Colorado Springs	Sr.	Health Care Science

THIRD TEAM

Name	School	Yr.	Major
Marianne Abdalah	Slippery Rock	Gr.	Biology (U) / Physician’s Assistant (G)
Elizabeth Acheson	Mary	Jr.	History
Marlee Baker	Carson-Newman	Jr.	Psychology
Emily Chilton	Simon Fraser	Sr.	Biomedical Physiology
Brittney Clark	Indianapolis	Sr.	Biology
Kylie Dahlberg	Lenoir-Rhyne	Sr.	Biology
Ayana Fields	Cal Poly Pomona	Sr.	Kinesiology
Bailey Gostomski	Roberts Wesleyan	Sr.	Computer Science
Melissa Moreni	Colorado Colorado Springs	So.	Biology
Katy Neubert	King	Jr.	Cell & Molecular Biology
Alona Olshevska	Saginaw Valley State	Sr.	Criminal Justice
Abby Owens	Carson-Newman	Jr.	Mathematics and Philosophy
Jena Reinheimer	Slippery Rock	Sr.	Finance
Amanda Short	Western Washington	Gr.	Kinesiology & Exercise Science
Iniuto Ukpong	A&M-Commerce	Sr.	Health Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Sydney Wolf	Seton Hill	Sr.	Psychology

CoSIDA Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year:  Zoe Baker, Colorado School of Mines