Samuel Ogazi’s rise on the global track has been matched, stride for stride, by excellence in the classroom. The Nigerian quarter-miler has been named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Men’s Indoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year, a distinction that underscores his rare balance of speed and scholarship.
At just 19, the Kaduna-born athlete becomes the first male student-athlete from the University of Alabama to earn the honour. He shares the 2026 award with BJ Green of Oklahoma and Calvin Wetzel of Tennessee, following a season that has placed him firmly among the world’s elite 400m runners.
Ogazi, a junior studying criminology and criminal justice with a minor in consumer sciences, maintains a 3.304 grade-point average and has earned Dean’s List recognition twice, according to the SEC.
The academic recognition arrives on the back of a breakthrough indoor campaign. Earlier this month, the Paris 2024 Olympian stunned the collegiate circuit by winning the 400m at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic, clocking a personal-best 44.85 seconds. The performance shattered the facility record, placed him second on the 2026 world indoor list, and ranked 13th on the all-time indoor standings which also stands as the second-fastest indoor time in Alabama’s history.
At the Tiger Paw Invitational, he powered Alabama’s 4x400m relay with a blistering 44.24-second anchor leg, helping the Crimson Tide record the second-fastest time ever by the programme in the event.
Already a five-time All-American, Ogazi is no stranger to major titles. He captured the 2025 outdoor national championship and the SEC 400m crown, and his consistency earned him SEC Men’s Runner of the Week honours in February.
This season has also etched his name into African athletics history as Ogazi is now the fastest African man over 400m indoors and only the second African to break the 45-second barrier, following fellow Nigerian Ezekiel Nathaniel.
His latest accolade continues a strong tradition of academic-athletic excellence at Alabama. The university’s athletes have now claimed SEC Indoor Scholar-Athlete honours in three of the last four seasons, with previous winners including Mercy Chelangat (2023) and Doris Lemngole (2025).
Attention now shifts to the 2026 SEC Indoor Championships, scheduled for Thursday through Saturday at Texas A&M University’s Fasken Indoor Track and Field Facility, where Ogazi and his teammates will again look to assert dominance on the track and beyond.
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