COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Being a student at the University of Maryland is an educational challenge that tests your skills from the time you are a freshman to the time you walk across the stage. Students must quickly learn how to balance classes with extracurriculars, but for some students the balancing act comes with one more responsibility, athletics.
Student-athletes practice year-round for a sport they love, while also having a full class schedule with exams, papers and homework. Some may doubt that you can be a successful student and athlete at the same time, but Maryland track and field alumna Chioma Onyekwere erased the doubts.
Onyekwere competed as a thrower with the Terps from 2013-2016. She is one of Maryland's most decorated track and field athletes. he finished her career at Maryland as the school record holder in discus (178'7"), broke a 14 year-program record in weight throw at the B1G 2016 Indoor Championships (69'5.5") and placed second in shot put at the 2016 B1G Outdoor Championships, with a 55-03.5m mark.
While focusing on being the best in her sport during her time with the Terps, Onyekwere majored in engineering. In April of 2016, she was recognized as the Solomon Eye Associate Terp of the Week, an award given to a student athlete who demonstrates success on and off the field. Her senior year accolades were not only limited to her major, but she also competed in Durban, South Africa for 2016 African Championships where she was awarded two bronze medals.
At Maryland, she explored her passion for engineering by participating in projects like the Boeing 474 Design Project, where she collaborated with seven engineers to create a restructure of the Boeing 474 aircraft. Onyekwere was also recognized as a top-five team in the Littlefield Production Management Simulation and earned the highest grade for simulation analysis. She did this all while practicing year round for track and field.
Onyekwere's success continued after graduation in her sport and career. She received a full-time offer from Ford Motor Company as a Product Development Engineer. She contributed to the tail lights on the Ford Explorer Lincoln Aviator, while continuing to practice for upcoming track meets.
"I didn't want to put my engineering career on hold," Onyekwere said. "So, I challenged myself to keep going while still competing as a professional athlete."
Her contribution to the tail lights was one thing outside of track as her list of track and field successes grew. She also became a professional track and field athlete and competed with Team Nigeria at the 2018 IAAF Continental Cup, where she placed fourth in discus (56.68m). Later that year, she won gold in the 2018 African Championships in Athletics for discus.
At the 2019 All-African Games, she placed first (59.91m) and was labeled as the best discus thrower in Africa. This performance allowed her to qualify for the 2019 World Athletic Championship in Doha, Qatar.
Before she competed in Doha, Onyekwere was ranked 26th in the world for women's discus and finished her first world championship 13th in the world for discus. She threw a personal best of 61.38m, which is the third time she broke her personal best this year.
Onyekwere is a prime example of a Terp who shows that you can be great in the sport you love and reach your career goals at the same time. She represents what it means to be Maryland made.
To keep up with Onyekwere, visit https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/nigeria/chioma-onyekwere-281737.
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