ALLENDALE, Michigan -- Callum Elson won the 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championship in the 1500-meter run on Saturday, May 28, his second national championship and the seventh in the history of the American International College track and field program, leading four First-Team All-American performances.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The first day of the event was strictly preliminary rounds for AIC, and both Yellow Jackets advanced; Elson won his heat of the 1500-meter run in 3:46.60, while Johnelle Thomas finished second in her 400-meter hurdle heat at 59.53 seconds to move on to the finals.
• The second day saw Clement Paillon move on to the finals in the 800-meter run; at 1:48.44, he was the third-fastest runner in the preliminary round.\
• Adia Cavalier began AIC's run of All-Americans, leaping 12.45 meters in the triple jump to take sixth.
• On the final day, Elson opened with the 1500-meter run final and he thoroughly dominated, leading from the opening gun to the finish line and winning in 3:46.35.
• Paillon took eighth in the 800-meter run to claim All-American status, and Thomas finished sixth in the 400-meter hurdles to become AIC's fourth All-American of the meet.

CAVALIER ATTITUDE:

• Cavalier earned her second triple jump All-American of the season, having also earned the distinction at the Indoor Championship.
• She improved from eighth at the Indoor Championship to sixth at the Outdoor Championship.

THE FIRST FOR THOMAS:

• Thomas's All-American showing in the 400-meter hurdles was the first of her career.
• The distinction comes in her first time qualifying for the NCAA Championship.

PAILLON CLOSES STRONG:

• Paillon earned his third All-American honor of the year and fourth overall.
• He was an All-American in the 800 in 2021 at the Outdoor Championship, and also in 2022 in both the 800 and distance medley relay at the Indoor Championship.

ELSON ELEVATES HIS GAME:

• Elson closed the book on arguably the greatest individual season in AIC's history, winning his second NCAA Division II National Championship and earning his fourth All-American honor.
• A cross county All-American in the fall of 2021, he was also part of the distance medley relay team and won the one-mile run at the Indoor Championship in 2022.
• Elson is the third Yellow Jacket to win two national titles. Leakey Kipkosgei '19/'21 was part of AIC's champion distance medley relay unit at the 2016 Indoor Championship and won the 3000-meter steeplechase at the Outdoor Championship in 2019, and teammate Ezra Mutai '22 was 2019 cross country champion and then became the 2021 10000-meter run winner at the Outdoor Championship.
• He is the first to win two national championships in one academic year, and his wins in both events are the first in the history of AIC's program