Back-to-Back All-American Honors For Williams

AUSTIN, Texas – Central Michigan's Nadia Williams finished 14th in the women's long jump to earn Second Team All-America honors on Thursday at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at the University of Texas' Mike A. Myers Stadium.

It is the second time in three months that Williams, junior from Mount Horeb, Wis., has finished as an All-American in the event. She placed sixth at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March to earn a spot on the first team.

Williams' best leap on Thursday measured at 20 feet, 3 3/4 inches. Yanis David of Florida won with a jump of 22-5 ¼.

"Nadia's had a great year," CMU Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Jenny Swieton said. "I think if we would have said in August she'd be a first team All-American indoors and second team All-American outdoors we would have been like, really?

"Not that we didn't know she was capable, but she had such an amazing year and to finish out with another All-American honor is amazing for her."

Williams is the first CMU female track & field athlete to earn All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships since 2002, when Suzy Bozin (high jump) and Maria Derezinski (heptathlon) accomplished the feat.

Williams is the first in CMU women's track & field history to earn back-to-back All-America honors.

CMU sophomore Erin Howard placed 19^th in the shot put with a throw of 51 feet, 7 ¾ inches. Samantha Noennig of Arizona State won with a throw of 59-6 ¼.

Howard, who hails from Lansing, entered the NCAA East Preliminary two weeks ago as the 19^th seed and finished 11^th there to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

"It doesn't get much better than that as a sophomore," Swieton said. "There's just so much room for her to grow and there are really exciting things in the future. I'm really proud of the way she handled herself. She didn't get overly nervous or overly excited. She just took care of business, which is great."

A lightning delay early on Thursday set the meet behind schedule. Both events in which the two Chippewas competed were scheduled for late starts to begin with, and the delay pushed them back farther.

"We had some difficult circumstances and I think they handled themselves really well," Swieton said. "They didn't let any of those things get to them. Now it's, 'I've been there, I've seen what it's like, so next time maybe take that next step.'

"I'm super proud of both of them. I think they've showed everybody what we know, that our program is on the rise and we're going to do everything we can to get better every day and I think they're the perfect example of that – the way they compete, the way they handle themselves with everything they do every day."

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Players Mentioned

Erin Howard

Nadia Williams