ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Gallaudet University All-American sprinter Eric Gregory (Metairie, La.) raced his way to a second consecutive national title in the men's 400-meter dash as he won Saturday with a record time of 45.93 seconds at the 2023 NCAA Division III outdoor track & field championships at the Polisseni Track and Field Complex.
Gregory held off University of Mount Union sophomore Matt McBride, who closed in on the Bison down the stretch, but couldn't catch Gregory who finished with the third fastest time in NCAA Division III history. Gregory's time is the fastest in NCAA Division III since 2005. Gregory's time of 45.93 is the new Division III season low mark, a Gallaudet school record, the deaf men's collegiate record and a new facility record on the campus of St. John Fisher University.
"I believed in my heart and stayed focused and humbled after I didn't run well in the 200-meter dash preliminaries [on Thursday]. That hurt me a lot and I used that fire to switch my mindset to do better in the 400-meter dash" said Gregory.
McBride posted a new personal record time of 46.04 seconds followed by John Carroll University junior Garret Clark in third (47.13), Benedictine (Ill.) University senior DJ Anderson in fourth (47.36), Berry College sophomore Jahari Jones in fifth (47.36) to round out the top 5. All eight finishers earned All-American honors.
Gregory, who is hard of hearing, entered the 2023 outdoor track & field championships with the 17th fastest time in the 400-meter dash (47.43). The junior posted the best time in the preliminaries on Friday afternoon with a new record time of 46.13, which lasted less than 24 hours before today's race.
"It is an extremely exciting time to be involved with Division III track and field. Coaching Eric as he competes and represents Gallaudet University at the national level for the fourth time has been a wonderful experience," said Gallaudet coach Byron Moore. "Watching him cross the finish line and defend his national championship title was a dream come true."
Gallaudet, the world's only university with programs and services specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students, now has two national titles thanks to Gregory and his performances in the 400-meter dash in back-to-back years. Gregory won last year's national title in the 400-meter dash with a top time of 46.19 seconds to earn Gallaudet's first-ever national title.
Gregory is now a three-time All-American in outdoor track and field and a four-time All-American, overall, as he earned an indoor All-American honor this past March in the 200-meter dash.
"It's been an absolute honor to work with the talented student athletes at Gallaudet this season," said Moore. "I'm looking forward to next year!"
400-Meter Dash Final Results
- 45.93 Eric Gregory (Gallaudet)
- 46.04 Matt McBride (Mount Union)
- 47.13 Garret Clark (John Carroll)
- 47.36 DJ Anderson (Benedictine Ill.)
- 47.36 Jahari Jones (Berry)
- 47.72 Tyrell Pierce (Knox)
- 47.99 Amara Conte (Rowan)
- 48.03 Jordan Dean (Ohio Northern)
NCAA Division III Track and Field All-Americans at Gallaudet
2023: Eric Gregory (400-meters/1st)
2023: Eric Gregory ^ (200-meters/3rd)
2022: Eric Gregory (400-meters/1st)
2022: Eric Gregory (200-meters/3rd)
2013: Darius Flowers (Triple Jump/7th)
2011: Darius Flowers (Triple Jump/6th)
2004: Ken Myers Jr. ^ (Triple Jump/8th)
1993: Wayne Langbein (Discus/6th)
1990: Richard Jacobs (Decathlon/4th)
1986: Betsy Bachtel (5,000-meters/4th)
1986: Betsy Bachtel (3,000-meters/7th)
1983: David Conley (Discus/6th)
^ - Indoor Championships
UP NEXT
This concludes the 2023 outdoor track and field season.
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About Gallaudet
Gallaudet University, federally chartered in 1864, is a bilingual, diverse, multicultural institution of higher education that ensures the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf and hard of hearing individuals through American Sign Language and English. Gallaudet maintains a proud tradition of research and scholarly activity and prepares its graduates for career opportunities in a highly competitive, technological, and rapidly changing world. For more information about Gallaudet University, please visit
www.gallaudet.edu and visit the Bison athletics site at
www.gallaudetbison.com.
