Justin Brooks added two more All-American performances to the Lee University tally on the final day of the NCAA Division II Track & Field National Championship at IMG Academy Track & Field Stadium. Brooks supplied finishes of fifth and seventh to give the Flames four First Team All-America honors in the past two days and five this season. Josiah Brooks and Christian Noble earned the designation on Friday and Justin earned the honor in the 400-meter dash at the 2017 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships.
“I am incredibly proud of Justin,” said Lee head coach Caleb Morgan.
“Once again, he exceeded expectations, becoming an All-American one time is a tough feat for any college athlete. For Justin to do it three times this year, and only be a sophomore, is truly outstanding.”
Justin Brooks entered the day with two event finals on his schedule. The 400-meter dash was first. The freshman posted a time of 46.38 on his way to placing fifth. Myles Pringle of Ashland University was the first across the line at 45.77.
A little over an hour later, Brooks was in the final of the 200-meter dash. He stopped the clock at 21.51 to finish in seventh. Lester Miller of Shorter University was the winner at 20.84.
With Brooks’ addition of six points to the team total, the Flames totaled 11 points to finish in a three-way tie with Minnesota State and Western State for 21st.
“Our goal was to finish in the top 25 as a team,” admitted Morgan. “We are very happy with the 21st-place team finish. We are returning all of our scorers and have an exceptional recruiting class coming in. All four of our First Team All-America performers are underclassmen. We hope this will only be the beginning of our quest to become one of the top track & field programs in the country.”