Track & Field Places Three on CSC Academic All-District Teams

RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced the 2024 men’s and women’s track & field/cross country CSC Academic All-District teams Tuesday and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros track & field program had three student-athletes recognized.

Sophomores Hannah Hilding, Tolu Odetola and Jedidiah Udunna earned Academic All-District honors. To be eligible, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.50 or better and rank in the top 50 regionally in any indoor or outdoor individual event or have been a top-50 finisher at a regional cross country meet.

Hilding, a business administration and management major from Stockholm, Sweden, advanced to the NCAA West Preliminary as she finished the regular season ranked 37th in the region in women’s hammer with a personal-best mark of 59.84 meters, ranking sixth in program history. She finished 32nd at the meet. Hilding also ranked 23rd in the South Central region during the indoor season in weight throw and was 28th in shot put.

Hilding was named the Outstanding Field Performer at the 2024 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Outdoor Championships. She earned silver in the hammer throw, bronze in shot put and discus, and was fourth in javelin. She also picked up the bronze medal in shot put at the WAC indoor Championships and was fifth in weight throw.

Odetola finished the indoor regular season ranked 37th in the region in women’s triple jump. She was seventh at the WAC Indoor Championships in the event and went on to place fifth in triple jump at the WAC Outdoor Championships with a personal-best mark of 12.04 meters. The Houston native is majoring in psychology with a minor in business administration.

Udunna won the men’s long jump title at the WAC Outdoor Championships and qualified for the second year in a row for the NCAA West Preliminary in the event. He capped the outdoor regular season ranked 10th in the region with his personal and program record long jump of 7.92 meters. The Houston native was ranked 13th in the South Central region in long jump and 36th in triple jump at the conclusion of his indoor season. He was the long jump silver medalist at WAC Indoor Championships this year. Udunna is pursuing a degree in business marketing and management.