FINAL RESULTS
GENEVA, Ohio – It was a six-year journey that featured all sorts of twists and turns, but
Cwinn Febus finally delivered his exclamation mark Saturday afternoon at SPIRE Institute to culminate the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Competing just an hour from his hometown of Medina, Febus took the track for the last race of his career (as multiple family members looked on) with a national championship up for grabs in the 110-meter hurdles. He got out of the blocks a bit slow, but quickly regrouped and led the race by the midway point…
After clipping the last few hurdles, and a late charge from MIT's Kenneth Wei, he crossed the tape in a blistering
14.19 seconds that warranted third place. It was more than good enough for elusive outdoor All-American honors and passed former 3x national champion Roger Retherford's 14.24 in the Otterbein record books.
Wei took the national crown with a whopping 14.05 while Bethel's Jayson Ekiyor (14.17) snuck in for second. The result for Febus is the highest for an Otterbein track and field athlete since his hurdles coach,
Austin Curbow, also took third (indoors) back in 2012.
"There were a lot of emotions coming out," said Febus, who broke down in tears after getting to the cool-down tent. "Everything that previously happened stayed with me… until now. I finally let it all out."
2021 FEATURE STORY
Febus has endured quite the ride when it comes to the NCAA Championships. As a junior, he fell down during the indoor finals of the 60 hurdles. Later that season, he took a distant 18th in two events at his first outdoor meet. COVID wiped out senior campaign, and a deflating false start last spring as a fifth-year athlete came with a disqualification.
"I thought about that false start every day," added Febus, who noted thanks to athletic trainer
Jake Sherer for keeping him healthy through four injuries. "Track can be very similar to life. If you get knocked down, you are sometimes the only person that can bring yourself back up. I was at the bottom of the bottom… and now here I am somehow ending at my highest peak."
After the NCAA issued blanket waivers during the pandemic, Febus (in a roundabout way) decided to come back and give it one last run this spring as a 24-year old, sixth-year competitor. He competed unattached during indoor season before officially "rejoining" the roster for the outdoor schedule.
Febus won an Ohio Athletic Conference title to begin the month… and then qualified for nationals with a 14.31 the week after in a Last Chance Meet at Baldwin Wallace. He advanced through prelims with the fifth-fastest time and built on that in his Saturday finale.
"Don't quit," Febus added in conclusion. "Find your motivation however possible to better the next opportunity. I am so thankful for the people I've met at Otterbein and the coaches/friends I've met in this (track and field) program."
