NAIA Track : Azusa Pacific Wins 4th Straight Title as Okoye Scores 28 Points

Azusa Pacific, led by Nigerian Christian Okoye, easily won its fourth straight NAIA outdoor track and field championship Saturday.

Okoye, who holds the school football record for rushing yards in a season, won the discus by 30 feet Saturday with a throw of 201-4, the fourth straight year he has won that event. Okoye also won the shot put on Friday and finished second in the hammer throw on Thursday for a total of 28 points.

Azusa Pacific and indoor champion Wayland Baptist were only two points apart after the first day, but Wayland’s chances were severely damaged Friday when sprinter Alrick Munroe pulled a hamstring and Wayland’s favored 400-meter relay team was disqualified for an improper exchange during the semifinal heat.

“We got about 10 more points Friday than we expected and Wayland lost some points,” Azusa Pacific Coach Terry Franson said. “There was about a 30-point swing.”

Azusa Pacific finished with 112 points, while Wayland finished second with 78.

Prairie A&M; of Texas won its fifth straight women’s title, holding off Wayland Baptist, 117-110.