BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – Prestina Ochonogor became the second Texan in as many days to qualify for the NCAA National Championships at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds at E.B. Cushing Stadium on Thursday.
Along with Ochonogor punching a ticket to Eugene, Victoria Cameron earned a berth in Saturday’s quarterfinals in both the 100 and 200. Cameron will be in the 24 women field in each event in hopes of posting a top 12 finish to earn a spot in Eugene in each event.
“I’m so proud of this young lady right here,” said head coach Bobby Carter. “Again, I’ve told my athletes, it’s all about surviving and advancing. Today she did just that! There will be much more to come.”
WAC Female Freshman of the Year, Ochonogor, became the second Texan to punch her ticket to Eugene. Ochonogor increased her leap on each of her three jumps. She started with a 7.33-meter jump on her first attempt. Her second attempt just posted a 7.47-meter mark which would have been enough to qualify, but she wasn’t done yet. The Benin, Nigeria, native, then posted a 6.66-meter jump just a centimeter shy of her school record. The leap qualified Ochonogor for nationals with the second-best leap in the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds.
“I want to thank God and I am very grateful from the beginning to the end,” said Ochonogor after punching her ticket. “I want to thank my family and coaches. Go Texans, I love you! See you in Oregon!”
Ochonogor is not new to the big stage. This past summer at 17 years old, she represented Nigeria at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the long jump. She placed 12th in the stacked field and was one of the youngest track athletes at the Games. The freshman will be making her second appearance at an 2025 NCAA National Championships after earning a First Team All-American honor earlier this year. She finished eighth in the long jump at the indoor championships.
The 2025 WAC Female Outdoor Athlete of the Year, Cameron earned a spot in both the 100-meter and 200-meter quarterfinals on Saturday with her Thursday night performances. First, the sophomore won her heat in the 100 in 11.07 seconds and qualified for Saturday with the sixth best performance. In her first race of the day, the Stephenville native narrowly broke her school record again, coming within .02 seconds. The Texan is the only athlete from a non-Power Four Conference among the top 18 qualifiers in the 100.
Less than two hours later, Cameron punched her ticket for Saturday in the 200 meters. The sophomore finished second in her heat crossing in 23.19 seconds. She posted the 17th fastest time in the 48 women field. She will punch a ticket to the NCAA Championships in Track Town USA by being among the top 12 runners in the field of 24 in each event set to run on Saturday.
A pair of Texan women also competed in the 200. Lauren Roy finished 32nd in the field in 23.56 seconds. Amandine Estival crossed in 23.79 seconds to earn 38th overall.
Friday, the Texans will be in hopes of punching a pair of tickets to Eugene in the men’s triple jump. In the final day of the men’s NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, both Sir Jonathan Sims and Gabriele Tosti will be competing in the triple jump. The duo will be competing in the fourth flight, estimated to start around 3:45 p.m. Tosti enters as the third ranked jumper in the nation and Sims boasts the ninth best jump in the West.
On Saturday, Cameron will be running in three events all with the chances to punch herself a ticket to Oregon. She will start in the 4×100 relay scheduled to run at 5 p.m. with her teammates, Hanna Dudley, Estival and Roy. She will then run in the third heat of the 100 meters slated to start at 6:35 p.m. Her final race of the day will be in the 200 racing out of the first heat at 7:50 p.m. Sofia DeGroot will make her NCAA West debut in the triple jump at 2:30 p.m.
With just two days left at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, the top 12 in each event on each of the final two days will earn themselves a trip to Eugene. The Purple and White have four individuals still looking to punch their tickets to Eugene, Ore., as well as a four-women relay team. The NCAA National Championships will be held at Hayward Field from June 11-14.
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