Margaret Bamgbose will be faced with the daunting task of making it to the final of the women’s 400m at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Indoor Championships holding between March 11 and 12 at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
The 22-year old Senior at the University of Notre Dame has been placed in the same semis with 2015 US champion and World Championships Silver medallist in the 400m Hurdles, Shamier Little who is competing for Texas A&M University.
Bamgbose, who is the 2015 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) 400m and 4x400m title holder, has been listed as a member of Nigeria’s team to the World Indoor Championships. She will also compete in the Medley Relay this weekend.
She has an Indoor Personal Best (PB) of 52.10s and Season’s Best (SB) of 52.52s, and is ranked 15th overall on the NCAA Division I list. Little on the other hand, is ranked 3rd overall with an SB of 52.15s.
Both quartermilers narrowly missed being placed in the same semis with World Leader (WL), Courtney Okolo who has set a time of 51.06s this year and of course, tops the NCAA list. However, there is bound to be a clash if all three athletes make it to the final.
Okolo, a Senior at the University of Texas, is the clear favourite for the title. That notwithstanding, she will have Little and Taylor Ellis-Watson (51.84s) who is 2nd on the overall list, to contend with.
The 400m semis comprise of four heats and the Top 8 fastest times will advance to a two-section final on Saturday.
Photo Credit: Kevin Sabitus
