Hayden Braun, Staff Writer
CORRECTION: The original version of this story made a major error. It reported that the VCU women’s track and field won its eighth consecutive Atlantic 10 Indoor Championship title. In actuality, it was only the team’s fourth consecutive title, and eighth total title. The error was based on an article posted by the Atlantic 10 Conference. This story has been updated with the correct information. The CT regrets the mistake.
The VCU women’s track and field team has continued its dominance in the Atlantic 10 Conference this season, securing its eighth Indoor Championship title.
The Rams’ sustained success has established the program as one of the most consistent in conference history — once again proving why it remains the standard in the A-10. The championship victory marks the Rams’ fourth title in the past five years.
The championship victory was fueled by strong performances across multiple events to secure the A-10 Indoor title. Redshirt third-year thrower Desi Akaolisa was named the conference’s Most Outstanding Field Performer after winning gold in the shot put and earning bronze in the weight throw.
Fourth-year sprinter Asia Powell also delivered a standout performance, taking gold in the 60-meter dash with a personal best time of 7.36 seconds — the second-fastest 60-meter time in VCU history. Among those contributors was jumper Damilola Ogbeta, who placed second in the triple jump with a mark of 12.39 meters, earning a first-time podium finish.
Being able to help contribute to the team’s latest A-10 Championship was a moment of pride for Ogbeta. Despite the strong result, she admitted she entered the championship meet with uncertainty after struggling to hit some of the marks she had reached during the previous outdoor season.
“Honestly, I was scared,” Ogbeta said. “Throughout the whole season I haven’t really hit the marks that I hit at the end of last year’s outdoor season, so I didn’t really know what to expect coming in.”
Heading into the meet ranked near the middle of the pack, Ogbeta exceeded expectations and finished in second place — her first podium finish.
The accomplishment carried even more meaning for Ogbeta because she joined the program as a walk-on and did not initially expect to reach that level so quickly.
“It felt really good. I was really happy,” Ogbeta said. “It was one of my goals coming in here.”
While the performance may have felt unexpected it was all due to the hard work and strides Ogbeta has made all season. She would use her own free time when she could as well as the final week before conferences to focus on refining her technique.
Every aspect of the team plays into the shared success, according to Ogbeta.
“I think it’s the environment, our team culture,” Ogbeta said. “We’re always supporting one another. It’s very much an individual sport, but when you have people cheering you on it just makes it ten times better.”
Ogbeta also praised head coach Jon Riley who was named A-10 Coach of the Year, for giving her the opportunity to compete and develop within the program.
“I’m just glad he took a chance on me,” Ogbeta said. “He’s been really open and flexible with my schedule, and he always wants better for me. He’s an amazing coach.”
Riley is historic in his own right, with eight Coach of the Year awards and 11 A-10 championships in 18 years.
As the Rams hope to continue their championship success, the team hopes their legacy will be remembered for the work it took to reach that level, Ogbeta said.