Tarleton State University

06/12/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 06/13/2025 01:16

Prestina Ochonogor becomes second Texan in as many days to earn First Team All-American honors at 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships

EUGENE, Oregon - notched the Tarleton State Track and Field's second First Team All-American honor at the second day of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships at Hayward Field on Thursday.

For the second time in as many days, Tarleton State notched an All-American in the long jump competition. After posted a fifth-place performance in the men's long jump yesterday, Ochonogor notched an eight-place performance in the women's long jump. The Texans are one of two schools to post a First Team All-American in both the men's and women's long jump competitions joining the Florida Gators.

Ochonogor was the only freshman in the women's long jump to reach the finals and earn All-American status. She was also the only non-Power Four competitor to reach the finals and ranch within the top 10. The Nigeria native was one of five women to earn First Team All-American honors at both the indoor and outdoor national championships in the long jump.

"Again, it's great to see what transpired today," said head coach Bobby Carter. "Today gave more history for this program, and another All-American. These ladies not only performed well today, but they showed up when it matters the most, which is what we have been working on all year. To see Prestina become All -American again is very impressive. Also, for Victoria to make the finals in the Women's 100m is huge for this program as the only non-Power Four athlete to make the finals. The 4x1 women finishing 15th in the nation and earning Second Team All-American honors was great to see as well. I am so proud of each and every one of them. I want people to know how tough it is to even make this meet as this is arguably the best meet in the world! "

Ochonogor improved on each of her first three attempts. Her first leap of 6.28 meters placed her within the top eight, but she knew she could do better. She bested her first jump by a centimeter on her second leap at 6.29 meters. After a few smiles, she moved on to her third jump where she leapt 6.41 meters, her best jump of the day.

She qualified with the eighth best jump heading into finals and earned three more attempts. The Texan was unable to land a jump that surpassed her third jump while recording a mark on all six of her leaps.

"I want to thank my family, friends and everyone that cheered me on today," said Ochonogor after the awards ceremony. "I may not have done my best today, but I love them all. This is for all of my supporters and Texan nation!"

The women's 4x100 meter relay team earned Second Team All-American recognition with a 15th place finish overall. The Purple and White clocked in at 43.74 seconds just 0.08 seconds away from their WAC all-time record mark set at the NCAA West First Rounds less than two weeks ago. The Texans were only one of two non-Power Four programs in the field of 24 and finished ahead of nine Power Four schools. The Texans finished sixth in their heat ahead of Duke and Oregon. The quartet consisting of , , Ochonogor and Cameron ran together for the first time. The group was just 0.66 seconds for the final qualifying time slots for Saturday's finals.

punched her ticket to the finals in the 100 meters as one of three time qualifiers after the top two automatic qualifiers in each heat. Cameron finished third in her heat in 11.06 seconds. The sophomore has been nearly unbeatable this season making it just the second time of the 11 100-meter heats that she has ran in that she did not win.

Cameron will be up against a tough field as one of nine finalists in the women's 100-meter finals. The Stephenville native is the only non-Power Four athlete in the nine women field. She is also one of four underclassmen that will compete on Saturday night. The sophomore will look to add another First Team All-American trophy to the Texans' packing list home. She will compete on ESPN2 at 6:52 pm PT / 8:52 pm CT and will need a top eight performance to reach the podium and the First Team All-American designation.

Ochonogor scored one point for the Texans for the team competition. After the first day of competition on the women's side, Tarleton State is 34th among the 37 teams to have scored at least one point. Utah Valley is the only other WAC school to score on the women's side. The Purple and White are one of only 10 non Power Four teams with at least one point after the first six scored events.

The Texans will have one event on Friday, the men's triple jump. As only one of eight schools with an athlete in both the men's long and triple jump, will look to match his teammate with another First Team All-American performance. Sims is slated to jump at 5:10 pm CT / 7:10 pm PT on ESPN+.

Tarleton State University published this content on June 12, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on June 13, 2025 at 07:16 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at support@pubt.io