Men's Track and Field | 5/18/2025 12:55:00 PM

Oberlin, Ohio – Oberlin College track and field athletes Namu Makatiani, Walter Moak and Cole Fuller qualified for the 2025 Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the NCAA announced last night. To qualify for the championships, athletes' season bests must rank within the top 22 in Division III. Of the declared entries, Makatiani stands at #17 in the triple jump, Moak at #15 in the 3000m steeplechase, and Fuller at #22 in the 400m hurdles. 
 
With this year's bid, Makatiani earned his third straight appearance in the outdoor triple jump. The junior qualified with his winning jump of 14.72m from the NCAC championships, a mark that also broke his own school record. This year's top jump in Division III is 15.76m, and it took 14.65 to qualify. 
 
At last year's championships, Makatiani matched his season best at the national meet, jumping 14.58m for 11th. He was just six centimeters away from earning three more jumps in finals. More recently, Makatiani competed in his first indoor national meet, placing 14th in 14.35m. With a new school record under his legs, he is primed for more. 
 
"It meant a lot to break my own triple jump record," Makatiani said. "I'm now the best version of myself, and I'm proud of the work I put in to get there." 
 
Moak, for his part, earned his second national bid in the 3000m steeplechase. The senior qualified by running a school record of 8:55.45 at the Widener Qualifier on Monday. The top time in the steeplechase this year is 8:46.29, and the last qualifying time was 8:59.06. This year's berth is Moak's fourth national appearance, including his cross country bids in 2022 and 2024. 
 
At the national meet last year, Moak won the preliminary round of the steeplechase, but only placed eleventh in the final. It was the Virginian's first time running rounds of any event. This time, the senior knows what to expect. 
 
"Last year's championships gave me valuable experience with rounds," Moak said. "This year, I'll be able to measure my effort between the prelims and the final." 
 
Lastly, Fuller will make his debut at the national level, qualifying with his time of 52.74 from Thursday's MIT Final Qualifier. The senior qualified by the narrowest of margins, making the meet off of both a scratch and a tiebreaker. In the past two weeks, Fuller raced the 400 hurdles four times, improving his school record on three occasions. The Chicago native's persistence was rewarded, and Fuller will cap his career by racing with the best of Division III. 
 
"A year's worth of focused training really pays off," said Fuller. This fall, the senior sacrificed his soccer season to train solely for track.
 
Head Coach Ben Wach put the trio's accomplishment in perspective. "This is the first time since the advent of the NCAC that our men's team has sent three athletes to the national championships," Wach said. "In the past few years, the national cut-offs have improved dramatically, so these qualifications mean a lot to the program." 
 
This year's NCAA Division III Track & Field National Championships will be held from Thursday, May 22nd to Saturday, May 25th. The meet will take place relatively close to campus, at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Fuller will race the 400m hurdles prelims at 6:10 pm on Thursday, and, if qualified, the final at 3:15 pm on Saturday. Moak will contest the steeplechase prelims at 7:10 pm on Thursday, aiming to make Friday's final at 4:40 pm. Makatiani will jump on Saturday at 11:00 am. The championships will be livestreamed free of charge on ncaa.com. 
 
Fans can keep up with their favorite teams on Instagram, Facebook, X, or TikTok, and watch all the home matches live online. The Crimson and Gold's home broadcasts can be accessed on TV through the official Oberlin College Sports Network app on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.