MARION, Ind. - The Talladega College men's track team finished their 2023 outdoor season on Friday afternoon with the conclusion of the 2023 NAIA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The Tornadoes had four entries competing on the day, and all four garnered All-America honors.
The day got underway with the 4x100-meter relay team nabbing a fourth place finish and bettering the program record time for the second straight event - this time with a time of 40.35 seconds. The performance earned the Tornadoes five points in the team standings.
Emmanuel Niang was next on the track leading off the 'Dega individual contingent. Niang claimed a third place finish in the 110-meter hurdles in a personal best time of 13.92 seconds. The finish netted 'Dega six points, and then
Nastario Williams added three total points in his two events. He scored a 7th-place finish in the 100-meter dash (10.52 / 2 pts) and an 8th-place time (21.26 / 1 pt). Williams finishes the season with three All-America honors including the long jump.
The Tornadoes scored 18 team points, placing them 17th in the final team standings among 78 teams that scored at least one point and 130 teams who were represented at the Championships. It marks the best finish at the Championships in program history. The Tornadoes were only two points out of the top-15, and only six points back of a top-10 finish. They were second among schools competing from the Southern States Athletic Conference - behind only the National Champions from Life University.
'Dega claimed eight All-America spots total out of six events in which they competed. Williams was an All-American in four different events - the long jump, 100-meters, 200-meters, and the 4x100-meter relay. Niang was an All-American in the 110-meter hurdles, and
Christian Louis,
Jonathan Meadows, and
Isiah Bains were a member of the 4x100 relay team to earn their All-America spots. 'Dega has no seniors on the team, so all members are eligible to return to the program for the 2023-24 seasons.
The Championships were the final event on the athletic calendar for 'Dega in any sport for the 2022-23 athletic calendar.
