Men's Track and Field | 6/23/2026 1:00:00 PM

Greenwood, Indiana – After a year that saw an All-America First-Team performance and individual conference title, the Oberlin College men's cross country and track & field teams recorded four College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors. 

Namu Makatiani earns his third career CSC award while Liam Newman garners his second and Michael Dolton and Kit Evans each earn their first All-District selection. 

"The group of students who have earned this honor represents 10 different majors across Oberlin's academic spectrum. Showing up at practice each day, you can arrive to a conversation about anything from neurotoxicology to lexical priority—these students have helped to make our team an interesting and vibrant one, and we're so proud of what they've accomplished in the classroom!" Head Coach Ben Wach adds. 

An Economics major with a 4.17 GPA, Dolton excelled in the triple jump to wrap his junior season. Placing ninth at the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Indoor Championships with a mark of 12.82m in the triple jump, the Canadian ranked 36th in the Great Lakes. Improving his personal best to 12.86m during the outdoor season, the junior ranked 35th in the region. 

Graduating with degrees in Politics and Law and Society with a 3.92 GPA, Evans finished among the top in the heptathlon and decathlon. Producing a heptathlon score of 3,809 at the NCAC Championships, the New York native ranked 20th in the Great Lakes and fifth all-time in program history. At the outdoor conference championships, Evans posted a regional ranking of 19th in the decathlon with a score of 5,208. 

Concluding his career as one of Oberlin's most decorated athletes, Makatiani graduates as a First-Team All-American and three-time Second-Team All-American, to go along with five NCAC titles, 13 All-NCAC honors, and eight United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region awards. The Kenya native also holds Oberlin's current indoor and outdoor triple jump records (14.91m and 14.72m, respectively) as well as the 60m hurdle (8.13) and 110m hurdle records (14.56).  

Finishing his career with an incredible senior season, Newman registered nine regional rankings between individual events and relays. Capping his final cross country season with a 19th-place finish at the regional meet, the Washington native followed with three All-NCAC honors between indoor and outdoor. Graduating with a 3.96 GPA with degrees in Law and Society and Politics, Newman notched six All-NCAC finishes and two USTFCCCA regional rankings over the course of his Oberlin career.  

"This is such deserved recognition for these student-athletes. They represent what is one of the main principles of our program and Oberlin Athletics as a whole, namely that you can make the most of your Oberlin education while also being a dedicated athlete," Assistant Coach Izzy Alexander continues. 

The award recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the course and the track and in the classroom. To be eligible for selection, a student-athlete must have reached sophomore athletic status and rank among the top 50 in the region in an individual event or place among the top 50 at the 2025 regional cross country meet while maintaining a minimum 3.50 cumulative grade point average.

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