Olympian Knowledge Omovoh joined the Grand Canyon University track and field coaching staff in 2022, bringing elite international experience to the Lopes’ sprints and relays unit. In 2024, she was elevated to the position of Graduate Assistant Coach, where she continues to mentor, train and develop GCU’s top sprinting talent.

A veteran of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Omovoh brings world-class competition experience and an athlete-first coaching philosophy to GCU’s sprint corps. She specializes in technical development, relay transitions, and performance psychology, blending her competitive background with academic expertise in mental resilience and leadership.

Originally from Nigeria, Omovoh has represented her country on the world’s biggest stages—including the World Athletics Championships, Commonwealth Games, and multiple African regional championships. A dynamic sprinter across the 100m and 400m distances, she has earned national titles and relay honors at every level of competition, culminating in her Olympic debut in Tokyo.

She made history at the 2020 Nigerian Olympic Trials, winning the 400m national title and finishing top three in the 100m, earning her a spot on three Olympic relay teams: the 4x100m, 4x400m, and mixed 4x400m relays. She went on to finish 6th in the 400m final at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, solidifying her standing as one of Africa’s elite quarter-milers.

Omovoh’s career as a junior athlete demonstrated early promise and national dominance. She earned back-to-back gold medals in the 400 meters at the Nigerian National U-18 Championships (2015 & 2016) in Lagos. In 2017, she captured the 400m and 4x400m titles at the ECOWAS U-23 Championships in The Gambia, and later won the U-20 national title in Abuja. That same year, she was named Team Nigeria Captain for the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas and the World U-18 Championships in Kenya.

Athletic Honors

• 2022 Outdoor All-American
• 2022 Commonwealth Games Finalist – 6th in the 400m
• 2021 Indoor All-American
• 2021 Outdoor All-American
• 2020 Indoor All-American
• 2020 Tokyo Olympian – 4x100m, 4x400m, Mixed 4x400m Relays
• 2x Nigerian National Champion – 400m (Senior level)
• Top 2 finisher in 400m & 100m at 2020 Olympic Trials
• ECOWAS U-23 Champion – 400m & 4x400m
• Multiple National Titles – U-17 & U-20 levels
• Commonwealth Top 8 Finalist

Academic Honors

• 2020 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
• 2021 SEC Academic Honor Roll
• 3x Academic All-American (2020, 2021, 2022)
• Multiple President’s Honor Roll

Coaching Impact at GCU

Omovoh originally competed for GCU as a student-athlete in 2019 before transferring to the University of South Carolina. As a coach now, she has played a key role in building GCU’s sprint program, contributing to back-to-back NCAA national qualifiers in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Her coaching focus includes:

• Technical refinement in sprint mechanics and block starts
• Relay development – especially 4x100m and 4x400m
• Mental performance coaching and resilience training
• Recruitment and transition support for student-athletes

Her presence has coincided with one of the most successful stretches in program history, with multiple sprinters and relay teams advancing to NCAA Regionals and Nationals. She has also been instrumental in recruiting international and American talent and ensuring smooth adaptation for new athletes.

Under the mentorship of Coach Tom Flood, Omovoh has contributed to:

• Refining baton exchanges in men’s and women’s relays
• Improving transition phases and drive mechanics in sprint groups
• Mentoring athletes in academic-athletic balance and mental discipline

Coaching Philosophy

” I understand what it means to be a college student while competing at the highest level of athletics the Olympics under intense pressure. Coming from a humble background, without major substantial support, staying focused and reaching the global stage was no small feat. Yet, I remained determined, and that same resilient spirit fuels how I mentor and support GCU athletes today.”

“Alongside my athletic career, I have pursued academic excellence earning multiple degrees while balancing the demands of elite competition. I use my journey to show student-athletes that it’s possible to excel both on the track and in the classroom. My goal is to help them believe in themselves, push through challenges, and become well-rounded champions in life.”

Omovoh uses her lived experiences to uplift and guide GCU athletes, encouraging them to push through setbacks and pursue excellence both on and off the track. Her unique background rising from limited support to Olympic-level success is more than a résumé; it is a source of strength and inspiration for the athletes she mentors every day.

Certifications & Education

Athletics Certifications (IOC): International Olympic Committee

• Sport Coaching
• Professional Sport Management
• Mentally Fit: Athlete Mental Health & Resilience

Education:

• B.S., Experimental Psychology, University of South Carolina (2021)
• M.A., Interdisciplinary Studies (Psychology, Leadership, Communication), Texas Tech University (2022)
• MBA (Cybersecurity Emphasis) – in progress, Grand Canyon University

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June 17, 2025

A game of beach volleyball in Georgetown, anyone?

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
 
Not only had Nathaniel Ezekiel not been beaten in a 400-meter hurdles race since last summer’s Paris Olympics, the Baylor senior had rarely even been pushed during the NCAA outdoor track and field season.
 
“I feel like the whole season, I’ve actually been competing against myself,” he said.
 

In the semifinals at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ezekiel beat former Baylor teammate Johnny Brackins of USC by more than two seconds. And when he was finally pushed by Texas A&M senior Ja’Qualon Scott over the last 100 meters in Friday’s final, the Nigerian Olympian responded.
 
“That was pretty cool,” said Ezekiel, who pulled away from Scott down the stretch to win in a school-record time of 47.49 seconds that ranks as the third-fastest in NCAA history and the fourth-fastest time in the world this year.
 

“I think sometimes, when there’s a lot of pressure, that’s when you actually do your best. I felt the guy from A&M right behind me, and I was like, ‘No, bro, no way you’re getting first!’ The pressure was good, I love it. Feeling that kind of pressure from someone for the first time in the season, I was like, ‘Okay, this is good. I just have to kick it again.”’
 
Baylor head coach Michael Ford said Ezekiel “set it up really well” in the early stages of Friday’s final.
 
“I thought those first six hurdles, he set it up like he wanted to,” Ford said. “I think he had a small little issue on, I want to say, hurdle eight. I think he got a little too close to it. He was running really well through there, but then he cleaned up hurdle nine. And hurdle nine is usually the one that I’m always concerned about him.
 
“I always tell him to go have fun. Just execute like you’ve been doing all year. You’re the only one that has run under 48 this year. Just do what you’ve been doing.”
 
One of 10 male candidates on the latest update for the Bowerman Award that’s presented to the top collegiate track and field athletes of the year, Ezekiel capped off his phenomenal four-year career at Baylor with his first NCAA national championship.
 
 A nine-time All-American, Ezekiel was a two-time bronze medalist in the outdoor 400-meter hurdles and was the runner-up in the 400 meters at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championship, losing by one-hundredth of a second to Georgia’s Will Floyd.
 
“It’s amazing,” said Ezekiel, Baylor’s first national champion in the 400 hurdles since two-time winner Bayano Kamani (1999, 2001) and the Bears’ first outdoor national champion since Trayvon Bromell won the 100 meters in 2014. “I didn’t get it indoors, but I said to myself, ‘I’m going to do my best to bring it home in the outdoors.’ And I did. I should say God did. and I’m grateful.”
 
It was also Ford’s first NCAA outdoor national champion in four years as the head coach. Alexis Brown, who won the NCAA indoor championship in the long jump, was the bronze medalist outdoors.
 
“My first national champion as a (Baylor sprints) coach was here with Trayvon, so I told them, ‘Who’s going to be my first national champ as a head coach out here?”’ Ford said. “And Nate was the one who did it. it’s always going to be special to me, having our first national champion in Nate in the 400 hurdles.”
 
The Nigerian record-holder as well, Ezekiel is turning pro this summer and could be back in Eugene for a Diamond League meet on July 5. Ultimately, his goal would be to go against the best in the world at the World Championships Sept. 13-21 in Tokyo.
 
Ezekiel was actually ranked No. 2 in the world until Sunday, when reigning Olympic gold medalist Raj Benjamin (46.54) from the U.S. and Brazilian bronze medalist Alison dos Santos (46.68) were both clocked in under 47 seconds at a Diamond League meet in Stockholm, Sweden.
 
“It’s pretty amazing to run a fast time, 47.49, in my last race being a Baylor Bear,” Ezekiel said. “Obviously, I’ve learned a lot, and I’ve put that into practice. I consider myself a professional athlete, and I have the mindset to do something better.”
 
Ford will be back in Eugene even earlier, returning for the USA Track and Field U20 Championships that begin Thursday at historic Hayward Field, where the Bears will be represented by freshman sprinter Hannah Lowe and triple jumper Iyanna Webb.
 
A Bowerman Award candidate as well, Brown and junior sprinter Tiriah Kelley are scheduled to compete in the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships July 31-Aug. 3 in Eugene, vying for spots in the World Championships in Tokyo.
 
 
 

An institution that has long been one of the nation’s foremost track and field hubs is still producing results on the national stage.

Last week, Penn track and field sent five athletes to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships in Eugene, Ore., with all five earning All-American honors for their efforts. Leading the pack was senior jumper Kampton Kam, who finished eighth in the high jump for a first team All-American nod.

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Junior hurdler Ryan Matulonis was named a second team All-American following his 15th place finish in the 400-meter hurdles, while 2025 College graduate and distance specialist Dylan Throop, junior hurdler Alex Sadikov, and senior thrower Angeludi Asaah all earned All-American honorable mentions in their respective events.

“It was a super amazing feeling to finally be first team All-American at Hayward Field,” Kam told The Daily Pennsylvanian. “I’ve been to indoor nationals twice, and this is my first time making it to outdoor nationals, so I was elated to make it out of regionals especially being ranked third in the NCAA coming in.”

Ahead of the national meet, Kam’s season-best clearance of 2.25 meters at April’s South Florida Invitational was good for third-best in the nation. In Eugene, he cleared 2.10m and 2.15m on his first attempts but failed to surpass the next height of 2.20m. Only one athelte, Mississippi jumper Arvesta Troupe, bested Kam’s season-best. Troupe jumped 2.27m in the final flight to bring home the national championship crown.

Kam described a persistent foot injury as a factor that hampered his performance.

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“I was dealing with a stress reaction on my foot two weeks after Penn Relays and had to modify my run-up to even jump after that,” Kam said. “Initially, I was optimistic that I’d recover in time for nationals, but as the time passed, it didn’t seem to get better, and a sprain at [the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships] made it worse.”

“Going into nationals, I kept an open mind and wanted to enjoy the extra two weeks of the season,” Kam added. “I focused on not letting the injury and pain bother me but to execute what I needed to, and that paid off with the first attempt clearances at 2.10m and 2.15m.”

Kam, a native of Singapore and holder of his country’s all-time high jump record, also said he was “honored” to become the first Singaporean to score individually at the NCAA track and field championships.

The 400m hurdles marked the sole event in which Penn qualified multiple athletes, but Matulonis and Sadikov were determined to make the most of their trip. Competing in the event’s semifinals, Sadikov took 21st with a time of 52.50 seconds, while Matulonis finished 15th with a time of 50.75 seconds. The meet marked the second trip to the outdoor championships for Matulonis, who also qualified in 2024 and was a semifinalist in the 400m hurdles during last year’s United States Olympic Trials.

Throop, a veteran for the Quakers, made his first career trip to outdoor track and field’s highest stage. After missing significant time due to an injury during his Penn career, the meet was a fitting end for one of the Red and Blue’s top distance runners. Throop finished 17th in the 10,000m event with a time of 29:24.03, earning an All-American honorable mention. After graduating from Penn in May, Throop will spend his final year of collegiate eligibility at Notre Dame next season.

Asaah was the lone member of the Penn women’s track and field team to qualify for the championships, also staking her claim against the best in the country. Competing in the discus throw, Asaah finished 23rd in the nation with a mark of 50.33 meters, earning her All-American honorable mention status.

Though she fell short of her personal-best mark of 57.04 meters set at South Florida, Asaah cherished the chance to compete at the national level.

“While it was a tough ending, I am so grateful for the whole Nattys experience,” Asaah said. “When I walked on freshman year, I thought Ivy Champs was the biggest stage I’d get, and I was just so happy to be on the team. Nationals and All-American honors is a dream.”

Several Quakers also expressed excitement in carrying their momentum into the seasons to come. Throop is the lone senior out of Penn’s national qualifiers, giving the rest of the group a chance to build on their success for the Red and Blue.

“I learned so much during this long season and am excited to take time off, recover, make adjustments, and come back stronger than ever senior year,” Asaah said.

“I want to strive to make a bigger mark next year,” Kam said. “As long as I’m healthy, I know I have it in me to win a national title.”