June 25, 2012

ELMHURST, Ill. – As NCAA competition closes for 2011-12, The Summit League ended its 30^th Anniversary Season with record success that included six NCAA Champions.

The Summit League nearly doubled its all-time NCAA Championships total during the year. A trio of student-athletes combined to win four titles bringing the league’s historical total to nine.

IUPUI’s Chen Ni, who won an NCAA Championship in the platform dive in 2010, was victorious again at the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships in March. Southern Utah’s Cameron Levins finished first in both the 10,000- and 5,000-meter races at the Outdoor Track & Field Championships in June. On the same night that Levins claimed the 5k title, Oral Roberts’ Jack Whitt took first in the pole vault. The three titles at the Outdoor Championships marked the most won at a single championship event in Summit League history.

Ni and Levins joined former Oral Roberts track and field athlete Andretti Bain on The Summit League’s list of two-time NCAA Champions.

Two more student-athletes won NCAA Championships of the statistical variety. Oakland’s Reggie Hamilton became The Summit League first men’s basketball scoring champion with the nation’s highest points per game average. In the spring, Western Illinois’ Sammy Marshall finished atop the stolen bases per game list and became The Summit League’s first softball national leader since 2009.

Below is a thumbnail profile of each champion and their achievement.

Chen Ni, IUPUI - 2012 NCAA Platform Dive Champion
Ni won her second National Championship with a score of 343.05 … She became the second two-time NCAA Champion in league history … Her initial title came in 2010, when she won the platform dive and was the first female in Summit League history to win an NCAA Championship. // Full Release

Cameron Levins, Southern Utah – 2012 NCAA 10,000-meter Champion
Levins won the 10,000-meter race with a time of 28:07.14, two seconds faster than second place … He became the fourth student-athlete in Summit League history to win an NCAA Track Championship … His time was the fastest at an NCAA Championship since 1984 and broke a 32-year-old Drake Stadium record. // Full Release

Cameron Levins, Southern Utah – 2012 NCAA 5,000-meter Champion
Two nights after winning the NCAA’s 10,000-meter title, Levins finished first in the 5,000-meter race and became the first Summit Leaguer to win multiple events at a single NCAA Championship … His winning time was 13:40.05 … Levins was the first to complete a 10k/5k sweep at the NCAA meet since 2009. // Full Release

Jack Whitt, Oral Roberts – 2012 NCAA Pole Vault Champion
Whitt won his first NCAA Championship by clearing 5.65m (18-6.5) … His winning height was four inches better than second-place … He became the first Summit League athlete to win an NCAA Championship in a field event. // Full Release

Reggie Hamilton, Oakland – 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Scoring Champion
Hamilton became the first Summit League player to win the NCAA scoring crown after averaging 26.2 points per game … His scoring average was 1.7 points better than second place and over three points ahead of third. // Full Release

Sammy Marshall, Western Illinois – 2012 NCAA Softball Stolen Bases Champion
Marshall became the fourth Summit League softball player to win a national statistical crown … She averaged 1.18 steals per game while amassing a league-record 45 stolen bases in 38 games … Her winning average was 0.35 ahead of second place. // Full Release