Sacajawea Hall

News Release

Atkin, Leighton to be honored for national titles on Thursday

LEWISTON, Idaho - The Lewis-Clark State College athletic department will hold a ceremony at the Activity Center at Thursday’s volleyball match to honor Sam Atkin and Chelsey Leighton, who won individual national titles in outdoor track last spring.

The event will take place during the game break, between sets two and three, of the Warrior volleyball team’s home and league opening match against MSU-Northern. The match starts at 7 p.m.

In addition to the ceremony, a social to celebrate the accomplishments of Atkin and Leighton will be held in the upstairs conference room of the Activity Center. It begins at 6:45 p.m. and is open to the public.

The first-place finishes came at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships in Gulf Shores, Ala., in May, and were the third and fourth national titles in LCSC track and field history.

Leighton won the national championship as a senior in the marathon, becoming just the second Warrior woman to capture an NAIA crown, and Atkin won his second title of the year as a sophomore, winning the 5,000 meters after taking the 3,000 meters during the indoor season.

Leighton, who is from Lapwai, Idaho, completed the 26.2-mile race in three hours, 2 minutes and 25.10 seconds, joining Tausha Kuzmic (2005) as LCSC national champions in the marathon.

Atkin, a native of Lincolnshire, England, posted a time of 14:41.96 en route to the victory, making his move in the final 200 meters of the 5,000-meter race to pull ahead.