FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. – Kamila Soja spearheaded the success of the Nova Southeastern track team this past season. The sophomore earned a trip to the National Championship Meet, where she garnered second team All-American honors.
The Sharks kicked off the 2023 outdoor season with a dominant performance at the STU opener. NSU claimed first place finishes from David Manhke in the 5000 meters and Maya Espinosa in the 1500, and a handful of top-10 placements.
Two weeks later, Kamila Soja secured an impressive victory in the 5000 meters at the Tampa Spartans Classic, defeating several Division I programs and Sunshine State opponents (Embry-Riddle, Florida Southern, Florida Gulf Coast, Palm Beach Atlantic, Saint Leo, South Florida, and Tampa).
Midway through the season, Soja picked up where she left off, securing a top-6 finish in the 10,000 meters at the Lee invitational against a deep field of Division I programs and Sunshine State Conference mates. Her time of 35:51.20 earned her a provisional mark for the Division II National Championship meet.
The following week, NSU made a return to Saint Thomas University, this time competing at the STU Pre-Conference Meet. The Sharks were led by a trio of first-place finishers in Eden Toal (1500m), David Mahnke (1500m) and Meghan McNabb (5000m).
As the season came to a close, Soja had one more opportunity at the Lee University Last Chance Meet to solidify a spot at the National Championship meet. And what did she do? Just that. The sophomore entered the meet ranked 37th in the NCAA DII rankings in the 10,000 meters, and took a minute off her PR en route to a second-place finish and a spot at the national meet in Pueblo, CO. Her time of 34:49.26 ranked her 18th in Division II in the 10,000 meters heading into the championship meet.
After a blistering performance, Soja added another accolade to her impressive resume, earning USTFCCCA All-Region Honors in the 10,000 meters.
Soja then went into the NCAA Division II National Championship Meet and left her mark. The Chiopee native concluded her season as a second-team All-American, becoming the second athlete in school history to be named second-team All-American and the first distance runner to earn the honor. She finished 9th in a field of 22 athletes, running a time of 35:41.17, her second fastest time this year.
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