Ogundiran wins USTFCCCA Athlete of The Week award News

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Ogundiran wins USTFCCCA Athlete of The Week award

By Daily Sports Nigeria on April 15, 2026

Nigeria’s rising sprint star Blessing Ogundiran has been named National Athlete of the Week in the NAIA women’s category by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association following a record-breaking performance at the South Florida Invitational, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The Warner University freshman earned the honour in the latest M-F Athletic weekly awards released on Monday, after producing one of the standout performances across collegiate athletics in the United States.

Ogundiran underlined her growing reputation by storming to victory in the 100m in a world-leading time of 10.98s, smashing the NAIA all-time record and becoming the first collegiate freshman to dip below 11 seconds since 2022.

Her winning margin of 0.42 seconds, achieved under a legal wind reading of 0.6 metres per second, further emphasised her dominance.

The performance came just a week after she had lowered the previous NAIA record from 11.28s to 11.21s, which points to her rapid progression and consistency at the highest collegiate level.

Her latest mark has also placed her at the top of the collegiate rankings across all divisions this season, while she remains unbeaten in all events, both indoor and outdoor, in 2026.

The award, selected by the USTFCCCA communications staff, recognises outstanding weekly performances across NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA competitions, taking into account not only times and marks but also the significance of performances on the national stage.

Ogundiran’s recognition marks the second time she has received the accolade during this season, having also been honoured twice during the indoor campaign earlier in the year.

Her achievement adds to an impressive period for Nigerian athletes in the U.S. collegiate system, following the exploits of Temitope Adeshina, who was recently named Women’s Field Athlete of the Year by the USTFCCCA for the Mountain Region after an unbeaten indoor season.

Source Punch Ng

Posted April 15, 2026