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Ackees Colley

Colley Finishes Sixth in the Country in 800-Meter Race

The Western Illinois transfer garnered NCAA First Team All-America recognition, finishing sixth at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - From now on, call Ackeen Colley "Mr. All-America." The Western Illinois transfer earned first team recognition as a Division II student-athlete at American International College and doubled down on the title at the 2021 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships Saturday (March 13).   

His debut season with the Leathernecks has been nothing short of spectacular. The Lucea, Jamaica, native finished sixth in the men's 800-meter title race, with a time of 1:49.01, a day after breaking his school record in the event (1:48.56). 

"I'm extremely pleased with myself and how I performed at my first indoor championships," said Colley. "I came to the championship with the intention of making the finals and getting a PR, so to me, it's a mission accomplished. The support that I received from the team was amazing."

"I'm just really proud of Ackeen," added assistant coach Brandon Hazouri. "It's really hard to make an indoor national meet, much less make a final. To compete at that level while also balancing the challenges that come along with his nursing major is not easy, and he deserves a lot of credit for that. Him finishing sixth in the country is such a great thing for our program, and it will help us to continue elevating the competitiveness of our team. I'm really thankful for the opportunity to work with him this year and can't wait to see him continue to progress." 

The Leathernecks hadn't sent a student-athlete to the NCAAs in the 800-meter run since Jared Schmidt and Heather Wetzel qualified in 2008. Colley won four of the six 800-meter races he competed in this season, highlighted by gold medal performance at the Summit League Championships.  
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