Tulane University athletes earned three additional medals at the American Outdoor Track and Field Championships as the event concluded on May 16 in Denton, Texas. The Green Wave team saw standout performances from Silas Kiptanui, Blezzin Kimutai, and Cara Salsberry during the final day of competition at Norma Knobel Hunt Stadium.
The results mark a significant achievement for Tulane’s track and field program. Athletes not only reached personal bests but also secured places on the podium across multiple events, demonstrating depth in both men’s and women’s competitions.
Cara Salsberry opened the day by winning her second bronze medal of the weekend with a personal-best throw of 51.75 meters in the women’s discus. This accomplishment makes her Tulane’s first women’s discus medalist since joining the American Athletic Conference and first overall since 2004. In distance events, Silas Kiptanui claimed his second gold medal by finishing first in the men’s 5,000-meter race with a time of 14:04.35, following his earlier victory in the steeplechase. Blezzin Kimutai added to Tulane’s tally by taking silver in the women’s 5,000-meter run after previously earning silver in Thursday’s 10,000-meter race.
Other notable performances included Jasper Newton placing sixth in both women’s 1,500-meter and 800-meter finals to secure valuable points for Tulane. The team also competed across all relay events with season-best times achieved by several squads.
At meet’s end, Tulane finished ninth overall on both men’s and women’s leaderboards—collecting seven total medals over three days: two golds from Kiptanui, two silvers from Kimutai, two bronzes from Salsberry, and one bronze from Petra Dos Santos.
Looking ahead, qualifying athletes will participate in the NCAA East Regional Championships hosted by University of Kentucky from May 27-30 for a chance to advance to nationals scheduled for June in Eugene, Oregon.
