EMPORIA, Kansas – Wakilli Bennett capped a distinguished career for Dominican men's track & field by earning First Team All-America status Saturday at the 2024 NCAA Division II Outdoor Men's Track & Field Championships at Francis G. Welch Stadium.
 
Bennett came in as the No. 12 rated runner in the nation with a time of 10.25 seconds but quickly established his belonging among the elite sprinters in Division II. Bennett took part in the first heat Thursday and a minor flinch in the blocks put him a bit behind the field early. Bennett pushed hard and finished second in the heat while setting a new personal best with a time of 10.08. His time easily held up after the ensuing two heats as he entered the finals with the fifth fastest time.
 
It was a clean start for all competitors in the finals with Bennett once again topping his time coming into the championships crossing the line in 10.19 to take fifth. Bennett became the first Penguin to earn All-American status in track & field and only the fifth Dominican athlete to earn the status in any sport joining Riley Friauf, Natalie Diaz, Sandra Ikeora and Pedro Guevara.
 
By earning four points, Bennett also put Dominican on the team board earning them a 44th-place finish in a field of athletes representing over 80 teams nationally.