Blacknell earns All-American status at Nationals
Grace Dwyer and Deveyon Blacknell didn’t let their rankings dictate their mindset at Nationals. Instead, they used that as motivation and the duo left as All-Americans.
With this being their last opportunity to mold their legacies, Dwyer and Blacknell, did not disappoint. The duo along with their coach, Matt Rosado, believed that their successes were due to a culmination of their training, diet, rest, and recovery leading up to the National Meet.
Dwyer was able to drop 25 seconds off of her personal best in the steeple run to 11:05 and secured a spot in her second championship final. During the finals, she raced to a 5th place finish in the steeple, securing her as the first All-American in the history of the women's program. Approximately 35 minutes later, Dwyer raced in the 1500m final. Despite fatigue and minimal rest, Dwyer was able to finish 12th place overall.
In the first day of qualifying, Deveyon Blacknell ran a lifetime best of 10.44 to make it into the final of the 100m and 21.01 for the 200m final. Blacknell shined in the 100m to run 10.39 and placed 5th overall. Just 8 thousandths of a second shy of winning first place. In the 200m race, he ran 21.25 in the finals to place 6th overall and secured himself as the first double All-American in the program's history and just the second outdoor honor for the program.
After the outstanding performance, Blacknell said, "This is only the beginning, I have to give credit to God, an inspirational coach, and a strong support system for my successes." Blacknell also credits his eating and resting habits and mentioned that he is grateful to have shared this experience with teammate Grace Dwyer.
After completing her events, Dwyer said, "To leave Gulf Shores an All-American was a huge full circle moment for me. Having Deveyon do it too makes such a statement about Coach Rosado and CCSJ track and field. I've felt so strongly that these successes are a "we" thing. So huge thanks to everyone who was a part of the journey."
Their coach, Matt Rosado, said, "I don't know many athletes who would have come in ranked close to the bottom of their events in the prelims and walk away with All-American honors. This was definitely a combined effort from all of the coaches and athletes. I'm excited about the growth of this program and the heights we will reach moving forward."