Deaflympians Shine at the NCAA D-III National Championships

Running in lane 1, Gallaudet's Oceana Brown finished fifth in the Women's 200M (Photo courtesy Gallaudet University)

MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA — U.S. Deaflympians Oceana Brown and Hannah Wetzel turned in strong performances at the NCAA Division III National Championships this past weekend at the Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium.

Brown, a freshman who also earned All-American honors and won silver in the Women's 200M in the Caxias do Sul Deaflympics, finished fifth in the Women's 200M with a time of 24.35 seconds to finish fifth overall in the event.

In the Women's High Jump, Hannah Wetzel improved on her 7th-place finish at Deaflympics (1.49 meters) by clearing 1.63 meters in her final collegiate event. Just 0.02 meters off Slovenian Leja Glojnaric's 1.65m Gold medal mark in Brazil, the result should put Wetzel in contention for a podium finish at the World Deaf Athletics Championships this summer.

Hannah Wetzel clears the bar at the NCAA Division III National Championships (Photo courtesy Gallaudet University)

With the collegiate season now over, Brown and Wetzel will turn their attention to the 2024 World Deaf Athletics Championships, which takes place in Taipei from July 18-23, 2024.