March 14, 2005

March 13, 2005

Complete Results

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -  Uzoma Orji and Nate Ball led MIT to a ninth-place finish out of 52 schools at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Orji headlined the weekend, setting an NCAA record en route to national title in the weight throw.

 

Orji enjoyed a national championship for the second year in a row, although the junior from Mattapan, N.J., made his mark in a different event this season. After fouling on his first two attempts in trials, Orji had only one chance to make the finals in the 35-pound weight throw. With his last toss, presumably a safety throw, Orji set a national record of 64'9.25" and paved the way for a first-place finish.

 

Orji also competed in the shot put. Although he failed to equal his record-breaking toss from last season, Orji offered his second-best throw of the season (56'3.75") to finish fourth overall and earn five more points for the Engineers. Orji's mark in the shot fell shy of third place by one centimeter.

 

Nate Ball capped the scoring for MIT with a seventh-place effort in the pole vault. Ball re-set his Institute record after vaulting 16'1.25" on his second attempt at that height. Ball had three chances at 16'5.25", but fell short in his bid to move up in the standings.

 

Both Orji and Ball copped All-America accolades with their performances. Ball secured his first national honor, while Orji earned his fifth and sixth All-America citation.