NEW ORLEANS - Following the conclusion of the 2026 track and field season, Angelo State freshman sprinter William Opare has been named the USTFCCCA's National Men's Track Athlete of the Year, the organization announced this afternoon.  

Opare, the freshman from Accra, Ghana, qualified for five different events at the Division II Outdoor Championships – the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 4x100m relay, and the 4x400m relay.

Opare, who was the LSC Athlete and USTFCCCA South Central Region Athlete of the Year, does the double in this award after winning the same award following the conclusion of the indoor season.

The Marketing student scored 22.5 points at outdoor nationals, claiming individual crowns in the 200 meters, the 400 meters, and anchoring the 4x400m relay team that earned national championship honors.

In the 400 meters, the freshman ran a 44.95, a personal best mark, a new facility record at Emporia State's Francis G. Welch Stadium, and the fifth-fastest time ever in Division II.

The mark is also a new program record, besting the 45.69 set by Luis Perez in 2016, as well as the Ghanaian national record.

In the 200 meters, Opare claimed his third individual national championship with a new personal best time of 20.45 seconds.

The 4x400m relay team of Taylor Briggs, Jahleel Armstrong, Rami Balti and Opare won with a time of 3:04.46, a facility record at Francis G. Welch Stadium and a new program record, over a second faster than the previous best, a 3:05.89 set back in 1997. 

Opare is the first Angelo State athlete to be named Outdoor National Men's Track Athlete of the Year.