TF2K22: The Stars 2

As the college track and field season has come to a close, we will take time to take a look at women in the sport who competed and made things happen in 2022.

Faith Banks - Cincinnati

Cincinnati's Faith Banks wrapped up a successful career in 2022. Banks, a native of Macedonia, Ohio, earned an American Athletic Conference gold medal as a member of the distance medley relay during the indoor season. She also won a silver medal in the 400 meters. In 2021 Banks was a silver medalist at the American Athletic Conference Outdoor championship meet in the 400-meter relay. It was her third relay medal as she was a silver medalist during her freshman season in both the 400-meter relay and 1,600-meter relay. Banks will compete next season at Florida State.

Tori Ortiz - Oklahoma State

A native of Winfield, Illinois, Tori Ortiz has led Oklahoma State to fourth place finishes in the 1,600-meter relay at the Big 12 Championships twice in her career. Over the past two seasons she and her teammates have qualified and competed at the NCAA West Preliminary in the 1,600-meter relay. Prior to attending Oklahoma State Ortiz was a champion at Illinois State in the 1,600-meter relay at the Missouri Valley Conference championships during the 2019 outdoor season. The next year she collected a silver medal in the 400 meters, a bronze in the 200 meters and another bronze in the 1,600-meter relay during season.

Sammy Kunza - Alabama

Alabama's Sammy Kunza finished her season competing in the hammer throw at NCAA East Preliminary, where she had her best throw of the season at 62.04. Kunza had a top four finish in the hammer throw at the LSU Invitational where she recorded a mark of 61.03. In 2021 she competed at the NCAA East Preliminary for the first time. That season she had her best career throw of 62.69 which still stands at the LSU Alumni Gold meet. Kunza earned her first career win last year at the Al Schmidt Bulldog Relays with a mark of 61.13 meters in the hammer throw. Kunza is from O'Fallon, Missouri.

Jamari Drake - Georgia

Jamari Drake is a well-travelled student athlete. She started at Southern Miss where she was a silver medalist in the high jump at the 2018 Conference USA Indoor Championships. She followed that with a third place finish during outdoor season at the conference meet. From 2019-21 Drake competed at New Mexico where she won the Mountain West championship in the high jump during the 2021 outdoor season. She became an All-American with a ninth place finish at the NCAA Championships to close the season This year the native of Springfield, Illinois, became a two-time All-American in her first season at Georgia with a second straight appearance at the NCAA outdoor championship meet. Drake jumped a career best 1.86 meters at the Tom Jones Memorial during the 2022 season.

Iman Brown - Oregon

Iman Brown started her collegiate career in her hometown of Seattle, while competing at Washington. Since 2019 she has competed at Oregon where she got her first medal during the 2020 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation indoor championship meet. She earned a bronze medal in the 1,600-meter relay. Brown qualified for this year's NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships where she competed in the preliminary round of the 200 meters. Her outdoor season was strong as she placed fourth in the PAC-12 200 meters final, helping Oregon win the overall team championship, before qualifying and competing in the 200 meters preliminary round at the NCAA Championships.

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