EUGENE, Oreg. – Hakim Abouzouhir earned First Team All-American honors in the 3,000-meter steeplechase for the second straight season, posting a time of 8:27.09 to finish fourth on Friday at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Oregon's Hayward Field.
 
"I'm very proud of this journey with the Colonels and I will be a Colonel for my whole life," Hakim Abouzouhir said after his final collegiate race. "I'm very proud of all the hard work that the coaches put into me and the staff to be at this level. It's not easy. It's four races in the last month and at this level of 8:25 to 8:28 shape, it requires a lot. Steeplechase is one of the hardest events, but EKU is one of the good programs for steeplechase in the country and this is why I chose it. Now, I am very proud of what I achieved. I'm very proud to wear the jersey and put this EKU next to my chest. I would say for everyone, keep working hard to make EKU and the community proud of you because people back there need those good achievements."
 
"I'm extremely proud. Hakim is an excellent representative of EKU, Morocco, and our program," head coach Cory Erdmann said. "He wants to be a positive role model, a hard worker, and to have success as an athlete and as a student. I can't be prouder of him, Mia can't be prouder of him, Patrick can't be prouder of him, Dale can't be prouder of him, and our entire staff and program can't be more proud of everything he did today."
 
Abouzouhir ended his final collegiate outdoor season with the third-fastest steeplechase time in the country, recording a personal-best time of 8:25.37 at the Bryan Clay Invitational.
 
The Marrakech, Morocco native finished sixth at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships to become a First Team All-American, running a time of 8:35.41.
 
Follow us
Keep up with everything EKU Track and Field on Instagram (@eku_xctf), X (@EKU_XCTF), and Facebook (EKU Track & Field / XC).