Ngandu honors cap Celebration Week

James Ngandu was named Midwest Region Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year.
James Ngandu was named Midwest Region Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year.

To honor the third place finish by the Men's Outdoor Track and Field team at the NCAA Division II National Outdoor Championships held at Charlotte, North Carolina May 24-26, a Celebration Week will be held from June 4-8 to honor their top accomplishments.

The Dragons trailed national champion TAMU-Kingsville (65 points) and Ashland (51), totaling 50 points at the event. The finish continued a run of excellence over the last three years that has included a second place and two third place finishes at the NCAA Outdoor National Championships and 37 All American Outdoor citations over that period. 

Today's honoree is James Ngandu. Ngandu concluded his sensational Tiffin University career with two more First Team All American honors in outdoor track.

Ngandu was the national champion in the 10,000 meters, while also taking 4th in the 5000. His 10K time of 29:19.91 was 7 seconds faster than his nearest competitor and just 3 seconds off his own personal record. It improved his finish from one year ago, when he took second. He was Tiffin's lone national champion at the outdoor meet. In the 5000, he posted a time of 14:04.85. In the 10K and 5K combined, Ngandu has accounted for 6 outdoor All American honors along with 6 more All American honors in indoor competition in the 3000 and 5000 meters. He was also named the 2018 Midwest Region Track Athlete of the Year.