Johnson, Nlemchi Earn Second-Team All-America Honors

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Johnson, Nlemchi Earn Second-Team All-America Honors at NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships

Both finished ninth in the country and become the 30th, 31st All-Americas in program history

Eugene, Ore. (SMU) — Freshman Latessa Johnson and junior Tochi Nlemchi both earned Second-Team All-America honors Thursday after finishing ninth in the country in the 200m and shot put, respectively, at the 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field National Championships. Johnson and Nlemchi become the 30th and 31st All-Americas in program history.

"Couldn't be prouder of Tochi and Tessa today," SMU head coach Cathy Casey said. "This was both their first NCAA Championship and they competed like seasoned veterans on a cold, rainy day that affected many superstars here. Coach [Tony] Miller and coach [Liz] Murphy had them ready when it matted most."

On the final throw of the semifinals, Nlemchi recorded a lifetime-best 16.77-meter (55' 02") hurl to finish runner-up in flight one and claim ninth-place in the country. The mark is the 2016 American Athletic Conference outdoor record and fourth-farthest in program history. The Waxahachie, Texas, native climbed five positions from her initial No. 16-seeding. This season, the junior improved her throw by 1.14-meters (3.74 feet).

In the 200m dash, Johnson clocked a 23.22 in heat one of the semifinals, to earn the top-10 national finish and place fourth in her heat. The mark is the fifth-fastest 200m time in SMU history. She now owns four of the top-five fastest times in program history.

"The thing I love the most is both girls came back after their events saying how much harder they were going to work to be even better next year," Casey said. "The future is very bright for these talented young ladies."

Lucija Cvitanovic will close out the National Championships for the Mustangs, as she competes in the heptathlon. She will compete in four events (100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m) Friday and three (long jump, javelin and 800m) on Saturday. The meet opens at 2:30 p.m. CT/12:30 PT. In 2014, she competed in the heptathlon at the National Championships, where she finished 14th in the nation. This is her fourth NCAA Championship.

Coverage of the 2016 Division I Outdoor Track and Field National Championships can be seen on ESPN. For live updates follow SMU on twitter via @SMUTrackFieldXC. You can also join the championship conversation by using #NCAATF and following the NCAA on Facebook (NCAA Track & Field) & Twitter (NCAATrackField) for results and important meet updates.