Fourteen Phoenix Set for NAIA Track & Field National Championships

LEBANON, Tenn.--Cumberland University will send 14 student-athletes to the 2025 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, set for May 21-23 in Marion, Indiana on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University. The Phoenix will be represented by seven men and seven women, each qualifying in individual events or relays.

Women's Qualifiers

Senior Praise Idamadudu highlights the women's entries with top-tier rankings in multiple events. Idamadudu is the national leader in the 400-meter dash at 53.75 seconds and ranks fourth in the 200-meters at 23.64. She also leads the Phoenix 4x400 meter relay team, which enters the national meet ranked 11th. Idamadudu is a seven-time NAIA National Champion and will be defending the 200m title and 400m titles.

Joining her in the relay are Leesa Mutandwa, Ezthia Maycock, Isabella Lehtinen, and Ifunanya Muoghalu, all of whom helped the team post a time of 3:50.12.

Freshman Isabelle Aalders qualified in two field events, ranking 12th in the high jump at 1.70m and 14th in the javelin throw at 42.08m.

Sophomore Zoe Vlk also earned a spot in the shot put with the 15th-best throw in the nation 13.58m, and Lehtinen added an individual qualification in the 400-meter hurdles, where she is seeded eighth (1:01.60).

Men's Qualifiers

Freshman Mustapha Bokpin leads the men's squad with qualifications in three events. Bokpin is ranked second nationally in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.13 seconds and third in the 200-meter dash at 20.49. He also runs a leg on the 4x400 meter relay, which qualified 13th overall. Bokpin finished in second place at the Indoor National Championships in the 60-meter dash.

Cumberland's 4x400 team of Bokpin, Logan Istre, Veron Ifill, Benjamin Nyakudya, and Dinkon Sinisterra earned their spot at nationals with a season-best time of 3:13.08.

Freshman Kennedy Bett will compete in the 10,000-meter run, ranked 10th nationally with a time of 30:35.65. Bett earned All-American status at the NAIA Cross Country National Championships in the fall

Junior Amir Mersal rounds out the men's qualifiers in the triple jump, entering with the ninth-best mark in the country at 15.03 meters.

With national contenders across sprints, distance, hurdles, and field events, Cumberland looks to make a strong impact on the national stage as the Phoenix take on the best in the NAIA next week.

Print Friendly Version