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Akbar and O’Brien Prepare for NCAA Championships
AU duo begin competition on Thursday

June 11, 2003 | Complete Meet Notes

Samia Akbar	Sean O'Brien

WASHINGTON — Seniors Samia Akbar and Sean O’Brien will represent American University at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships to be held June 11 through 14 in Sacramento, Calif. Akbar, running in the 10,000m, will be the first AU female runner ever to compete at the NCAAs in outdoor track. O’Brien will be making his third appearance at the outdoor championships and is in search of his fourth All-American honor. He will be racing in the 1500m where he has earned All-American recognition the past two years.

Akbar is familiar with the national stage having run in the NCAA Cross Country Championship this past fall. She finished 60th in the race which is the highest finish ever for a Patriot League female runner. American University’s most decorated female runner ever, Akbar holds five indoor and three outdoor school records and also ran on two indoor relays and two outdoor relays that set school marks. She is the Patriot League Cross Country Runner of the Year and was named the Patriot League Indoor Track Runner of the Meet as well as being named to the All-Patriot League First Team in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. Akbar qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships by placing second in the 10,000m at the Penn Relays in 34:17.48. She is seeded 16th in the race.

American University's three-time track All-Americans Andrew Bell and Sean O'Brien.

After earning All-American honors in the 1500m the previous two years, this winter O'Brien earned his third All-American recognition anchoring the distance medley relay team to an eighth place finish at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. If he can earn All-American honors again this week, O’Brien will become the first AU athlete ever to be named an All-American four times. Currently, he is tied with Andrew Bell (men’s track), Michael Brady (men’s soccer) and Tim Miller (men’s swimming) for the most All-American awards at American with three. He was named to the All-Patriot League First Team in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track this year. O'Brien enters the meet as the 19th seed after placing fourth in the NCAA East Regional on May 31.

O'Brien begins competition on Thursday at 7:25 p.m. in the 1500m preliminaries. Akbar runs in the 10,000m final later that evening at 9 p.m. The 1500m final will be held on Saturday at 7:50 p.m. All times are Pacific Daylight Time.

Results will be posted after the races on the Sacramento State website (click here).