NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced Michigan Tech junior Clayton Sayen (Houghton, Michigan) is among its 2022 NCAA Division II All-Region honorees Wednesday. Sayen earned top marks in the 800 meters and 1500 meter events this spring and qualified for the 1500 national finals, where he placed 11th.
Top-5 individuals in each event from each region earned All-Region honors, in addition to each of the members of a top-3 ranked relay team.
Sayen was recently named USTFCCCA Second Team All-America (May 31) in the men’s 1500 meters after turning in a time of 3:51.64 at the NCAA National Championships. Sayen became the 12th Michigan Tech men’s track & field athlete to make an NCAA appearance and was the first to make the 12 athlete finals in the 1500 meter event.
Earlier this spring, he won the 1500 meter GLIAC Championship in Allendale, Michigan and set the conference record time. Sayen’s impressive season began in fall cross country, where he won the Roy Griak Invitational 8K in St. Paul, Minnesota in September. He set his first 1500 meter provisional mark at the Raleigh Relays with a time of 3:45.84 and continued to improve in the lead-up to the NCAA Championships, also setting a provisional time and MTU school record in the 800 meters at the North Central College Carius-Gregory Invitational.
Michigan Tech’s outdoor track and field season ended team competition at the GLIAC Outdoor Championships on May 4-6. The Husky men placed sixth and the women came in seventh under head coach Kristina Owen.