Simpson men's track and field lands seven on All-Region team

NEW ORLEANS - Simpson men's track and field was honored seven times on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as All-Region selections.

Individually, James Johnson was named twice to the All-Region list with his performances in the mile and 3000 meter. Johnson qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the mile and will compete for a national championship on Friday, March 13. Joining Johnson was Kendrick Achebe (60m), Jeret Petersen (Heptathlon), and Cooper Winkel (60m Hurdles).

Johnson set the second fastest time in program history in the mile with a mark of 4:07.10 minutes at the Wartburg qualifier in the final meet of the season. At the A-R-C Championships, Johnson logged a 8:15.27 time in the 3000m, also the second fastest time in school history.

Achebe, who was also named an All-Region selection last year, repeated after breaking his own school record in the 60m dash at 6.80 seconds at the Grinnell Invitational. Petersen earned 4,788 points in the heptathlon at the A-R-C Championships, and Winkel set the third fastest time in program history in the 60m hurdles with a mark of 8.13 seconds to begin the year.

Also being selected to the All-Region team was Simpson's 4x400 relay, and the DMR teams. The men's DMR won the A-R-C title at the conference championships last month earning all-conference honors with a time of 10:14.93 minutes. The 4x400 relay team earned their all-region selection after posting a mark of 3:19.40 at the Darren Young Classic in February.

The DMR team featured Collin Kessler, Ben Gilbert-Binder, Ryan North, and James Johnson. Comprising the 4x400 team was Jrakke Johnson, Joseph Sams, Jacob Zeh, and Adonis McKenzie.

The top-8 individuals in each event from each region on the year-end Descending Order Lists earned All-Region distinction, in addition to each member of the region's top-8 relay teams.