BRADENTON, Fla. – Junior sprinter Oluwatosin Balogun will become the first member of the fledgling Lincoln Memorial University track and field program to compete in the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships when he runs in the 400-meter race on Thursday at IMG Academy.
 
Balogun – a native of Grayson, Georgia – will be one of 13 South Atlantic Conference student-athletes competing in the National Championship meet. Wingate tied a league-record with five qualifiers, while Queens is sending three and Carson-Newman is sending two. Anderson and Coker are also sending a single student-athlete apiece to compete in the big dance.
 
Balogun earned his spot in the National Championship field at the 2017 SAC Championship meet, where he repeated as conference champion in the 400-meter race with a league-record time of 47.08. That effort was ranked as high as No. 4 in the country and helped Balogun garner USTFCCCA All-Southeast Region honors, which is also a first for the LMU track and field program. Balogun finished the regular season ranked 10th in that event.
 
Balogun has run the 400-meter race just once since claiming the SAC Championship in mid-April, competing in the Aggie Last Chance in Greensboro, North Carolina on May 14.
 
"It's been a long season," said Director of Track and Field Rochelle Black. "I know Tosin is a little tired with all of the running. He's put in the work and having this opportunity is a big feather in his cap. I'm happy with how he's done so far this season and we are excited overall."
 
For a program that made its humble debut in January 2015 and is under the first-year guidance of coach Rochelle Black, Balogun's qualification for the National Championship meet can serve as a steppingstone to both validate the program and expedite its continuing growth.
 
"It bodes well for the future of the program," said Black. "I like the fact that Tosin has a lot of teammates that have been cheering him on and he's got his name around campus and the town. It's done a lot for the program."
 
Balogun will be one of 20 racers competing in the 400-meter dash prelims on Thursday night. The top eight will qualify for the 400-meter finals, which are scheduled for 6:25 pm on Saturday. The top 12 finishers earn All-American status, with the top eight garnering first-team classification and the nine through 12 spots notching second-team honors.
 
"First things first he's got to finish the race. For him to be an All-American would be a great thing but I'm just looking for him to enjoy the experience," Black said. "He was not expecting to run this long into the season, but he's run well enough to warrant a chance to compete there. I just want to see him go out there, enjoy the experience and build on that for next year."
 
A live stream as well as results from the entirety of the 2017 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be available at NCAA.com.