Press Release written by Mitchell Coll
NEW ORLEANS, La. - - The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) has announced its All-Region performances, which included a record number of seven Wilmington University student-athletes across nine events.
The criteria to be selected for the USTFCCCA East All-Region Honors is based on the athlete's seasonal best performance compared to the rest of the region.
The men's 4x100-meter relay team of Tyler Levons, Bradley Spencer, Matt Hibbert, and Taf Bunu recorded the season's best time at this year's Mount Olive First Chance Meet at 41.06 seconds. The time earned the four student-athletes the program record and USTFCCCA East All-Region Honors.
Akeel Blake is the first Wildcat to earn USTFCCCA East All-Region Honors in all three jumping events. His main event was the long jump, with a best jump of 7.49 meters, coming at the Towson Open. Blake also placed third overall at the Penn Relays this year in the long jump and became the first Wildcat to hit an NCAA Outdoor Track & Field provisional mark. Blake's seasonal best 1.95-meter high jump placed him second at the CACC Championships and earned All-Region honors. At the Osprey Open, Blake recorded his best distance in the triple jump with a leap of 14.31 meters, also earning him All-Region honors.
Taf Bunu, Tyler Levons, and Shemar Parker earned two All-Region honors in sprints for the 2023 season. Taf Bunu picked up his second selection in the 100-meters. Bunu earned All-Region honors in the last meet of the season at the Mount Olive Last Chance Meet with a time of 10.68 seconds, also setting a new program record. Tyler Levons time of 21.78 seconds at the Mount Olive First Chance Meet awarded him his second career All-Region honors in the 200 meters. Shemar Parker earned two all-region honors in the 400-meter hurdles and the decathlon. Parker competed in the first and only decathlon event of the year at the Osprey Open. Parker had an impressive two days, placing first place in eight of the ten events. Shemar Parker left it all out on the track in the 400-meter hurdles with a new CACC Championship record and program record. Parker finished with an impressive time of 53.38 seconds earning him All-Region honors.
Freja Olofsson becomes the programs' first female student-athlete to earn All-Region honors. Olofsson's best toss in the discus throw of 39.15 meters at the CACC Championships earned her first place in the event, first-team All-CACC and USTFCCCA East All-Region honors.
The men won their first ever CACC Championship this spring while the women collected their best postseason finish, placing fourth overall at the CACC Championship.