Oberlin College Athletics

A 14-time All-NCAC performer, Toju Omatete is one of the most decorated track and field athletes in Oberlin College history.

He broke onto the scene as a freshman in 1987, winning the 400-meter dash at the NCAC Outdoor Championship meet in what was then a school-record time of 50.07. He would claim his second NCAC crown at the 1989 indoor championships, covering 44-03 in the triple jump.

In just three years, Omatete was a seven-time All-NCAC selection indoors and added seven more all-conference performances on the outdoor track. When his career ended he held the school record in the triple jump indoors (44-11.75) and the 400 meters and 4x400 relay outdoors.

A prolific point-scorer for the Yeomen, Omatete competed in an array of events throughout his career. He is remembered by his teammates as being a great leader.

The six-time letterman majored in history, but always had a passion for music and performing arts. He would go on to earn a master of fine arts in theater performance at the University of Tennessee, where, as a member of both the graduate acting program and the Clarence Brown Theatre Company, he would perform at the Academy of Theatre and Film in Budapest, Hungary, and the Festival Istropolitana in Bratislava, Slovakia.

He served as an adjunct professor of theatre for a semester at George Mason University in Virginia. A GED program coordinator and instructor in Washington, D.C., for many years, Omatete was recognized for his effectiveness in “engaging and leading under-served and at-risk youth” to academic success. He received leadership awards from the Youth Development Practitioners Institute and an outstanding service award from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Youth Opportunities Program.