NEW ORLEANS, LA (WJMN) – Three Michigan Tech Huskies and two Norther Michigan Wildcats were awarded All Region honors on Wednesday from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The awards were announced following the end of the 2023 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field regular season.
Top-5 individuals in each event from each region earned All-Region honors, in addition to each of the members of a top-3 ranked relay team.
Michigan Tech
The Huskies recognized Wednesday are:
- Clayton Sayen (1,500m)
- Sam Lange (1,500m)
- Jesse Jacobusse (800m)
The 2023 awards mark the second consecutive year that Sayen, a Houghton native, has been named All-Region in the metric mile, clocking 3:45.27 at the St. Francis Last Chance Invite on May 13.
Sam Lange, from Washington, Illinois, earned his first All-Region accolades in the 1,500m with a time of 3:46.11.
Jesse Jacobusse also received All-Region recognition for the first time. The Chelsea, Michigan native ran 2:08.00 to be among the top-five fastest times over 800m in the Midwest region.
Sayen and Jacobusse will be competing in the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Pueblo, Colorado, on May 25-27.
Northern Michigan
The Wildcats recognized Wednesday are:
- Akirah Venerable(400m hurdles)
- Crystal Walker(long jump)
Venerable was awarded in the 400m hurdles after setting the NMU school record at the GLIAC Championships with a time of 1:01.67, good for second in the event. The Kansas City, Missouri native broke the school record less than a week prior with a time of 1:02.99 at the Drake Alternative Meet before breaking her own time and placing her within the top-five in the Midwest.
Walker, a native of Portmore, Jamaica, set the school record with a mark of 5.92m at the Carius-Gregory Invitational. It ties the school-record distance she holds for the indoor track & field season, a mark she also set this season.
You can find the full USTFCCCA release here.
