Ogazi wins SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year News

Nigeria’s Samuel Ogazi has been named the Southeastern Conference Men’s Indoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year, marking the first time a male student-athlete from the Alabama University to receive the honour, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The 19-year-old junior from Kaduna, Nigeria, shares the 2026 men’s award with BJ Green of Oklahoma and Calvin Wetzel of Tennessee.

According to the SEC, Ogazi maintains a 3.304 grade-point average in criminology and criminal justice, with a minor in consumer sciences, and has twice earned Dean’s List recognition at Alabama.

Ogazi’s selection follows a landmark indoor season in which he has already established himself as one of the world’s fastest 400m runners.

The Paris 2024 Olympian won the 400m at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic with a personal-best 44.85s in early February, breaking the facility record and placing second on this year’s world indoor list.

His performance ranks 13th on the all-time indoor list and second in Alabama programme history.

He also contributed a 44.24-second anchor leg on Alabama’s 4x400m relay at the Tiger Paw Invitational, helping the Crimson Tide clock the school’s second-fastest time in the event.

A five-time All-American, Ogazi won the 2025 outdoor national title and the SEC championship in the men’s 400m, and was named SEC Men’s Runner of the Week in February.

His indoor achievements this season have made him the fastest African over 400m indoors and the second African man to break 45 seconds in the event, following fellow Nigerian Ezekiel Nathaniel.

Ogazi’s award continues a strong run of recognition for Alabama, which has seen student-athletes claim SEC Indoor Scholar-Athlete honours in three of the last four seasons, including Mercy Chelangat in 2023 and Doris Lemngole in 2025.

The 2026 SEC Indoor Championships will take place Thursday to Saturday at Texas A&M University’s Fasken Indoor Track and Field Facility, where Ogazi and his peers will continue to vie for conference supremacy.