By Jacob Norling
March 15, 2023
 
(NEW ORLEANS, La.) For the fourth time in his collegiate career Westmont's Zola Sokhela has received an annual honor from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Twice previously Sokhela has been named a USTFCAA West Region Athlete of the Year, and once before (2021) Sokhela was named USTFCCCA Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year.
 
Following his historic performance at the NAIA Indoor National Championships, Sokhela now adds 2023 USTFCCCA NAIA Indoor Track and Field Men's Athlete of the Year to his resume.
 
At Indoor Nationals in Brookings, South Dakota earlier this month Sokhela saw his NAIA All-American total reach double-digits, and also won his fourth individual NAIA National Championship. First off, in the final of the men's mile, Sokhela was national runner-up with a time of 4:08.53. The junior's performance in the mile earned him his 10th All-American nod.
 
For the main event, Sokhela took center stage in the men's 1000 meter run, winning the National Championship with a program record time of 2:25.42. For good measure, Sokhela's previous program record had just barely turned 24 hours old, given he broke another of his own records during the preliminaries of the 1,000.
 
Reflecting on his accomplishments, Sokhela said, "It is surreal. I've really come to appreciate the wins. A lot of people might think you're used to it, but it's a lot of hard work each and every time.
 
"Each win, each All-American, each award has a different journey behind it, which is something I've really come to appreciate."
 
Five semesters into his Westmont career, Sokhela has now National Championships in the men's 1500 (2021), men's 800 (2021, 2022), and the men's 1000 (2023). In total, the Pietermaritzburg, South Africa native has been named an NAIA All-American on 11 different occasions.
 
Sokhela and the rest of the Warriors now have their eyes set on the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships, which will begin on May 24 in Marina, Indiana.