COLUMBIA, S.C. - The CIU men's track and field team capped off a noteworthy performance at the NCCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships by sweeping the individual meet awards on Saturday for the second consecutive year. Dario Laing was named NCCAA Track Athlete of the Year, while Deandre Leith earned NCCAA Field Athlete of the Year honors.

Laing displayed his versatility, finishing second in the 110-meter hurdles (14.28 seconds) and winning the 400-meter hurdles in 53.97 seconds. Clayton Hammond led the Rams in the 400m with a time of 51.31 seconds, followed by Kevin Cunningham (53.71 seconds) and Denim Jones (54.67 seconds).

Joel Baumgarten clocked a time of 11:21.15 in the 3000m steeplechase. Jones, Irvin Sumter, Hammond, and Laing combined for a fifth-place finish in the 4x100 relay (42.56 seconds). The 4x400 relay team of Jones, Malik Beaver, Julian Carranza, and Hammond placed ninth (3:29.43).

In the field events, Bryce Scarborough (40.90m) and Cameron Montgomery (39.68m) competed in the hammer throw. Leith (17.92m) and Montgomery (15.50m) secured a one-two finish in the shot put, with Leith claiming his third consecutive NCCAA title in the event. Branson Rimmer cleared 4.00 meters in the pole vault, while Elijah Seawright and Sumter recorded jumps of 6.71 meters and 6.20 meters, respectively, in the long jump.

Coach John Sparks spoke on his team saying, "CIU men and women performed well this week.  I'm proud of how each one of our athletes competed.  Six NCCAA national champions in the meet is something to build on for the future. We are looking forward to taking nine athletes to NAIA nationals in two weeks."

Looking ahead, the NAIA qualifiers will travel to Marion, Indiana, for the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, taking place May 22-24