Okagbare lands NCAA regional qualifying mark, season top performance

Submitted by Yomi Omogbeja on 7 April 2009 - 11:40pm

Image removed.University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP) Junior and five-time All-American Blessing Okagbare has been named the Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week.

At the 82nd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, Okagbare - who is the Olympic bronze medalist, posted the second-best performance in the US in the women's triple jump with a mark of 13.52m, which also ranks as Conference-USA's Top Performance for the 2009 season and is a NCAA regional qualifying mark.

She was also part of the women's 4X400m relay quartet made up of Gladys Nwaubani, Endurance Abinuwa, Shalaiyah Sommerville that posted the first regional mark on the track with a time of 45.05 seconds.

Her compatriot, Freshman sprinter Endurance Abinuwa was also named as the Conference USA Female Athlete of the Week, in February.

Abinuwa recorded C-USA bests in two events at the Texas A&M Invitational in mid-February.

The Nigerian ran a NCAA provisional and personal-best time of 53.70 in the 400-metres dash.

She also anchored UTEP's' 4x400 metres relay team to a 3:43.03 clocking, also a C-USA best this season.