Kaputin makes A&M Hall of Fame

Papua New Guinea’s very own Track and Field Champion, Rellie Kaputin, has made history for herself by being inducted into the 2023 class of West Texas A&M University Hall of Fame.

The Athletic Hall of Champions, established in 1987, recognizes outstanding student-athletes, coaches and administrators for their significant achievements. Kaputin made the move to United States in 2017 after winning goals in the 2015 Pacific games.

The PNG National Record Holder was an integral part of the program at West Texas, winning their first two NCAA Division II National Championships as well as opening international recruiting for the track and field team to a whole new level.

Kaputin won three individual national championships competing for West Taxes A&M University and was named the league's Lone Star Conference Female Field Athlete of the Year three times. She also collected seven LSC titles along the way.

In 2017 Kaputin was named US Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association National Women's Field Athlete of the Year after she became the first female individual National Champion in the history of West Texas Track and Field, winning the triple jump and scoring 21 points at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Birmingham, Alabama. She followed that up in the outdoor season by winning the triple jump and scoring 22 points at the NCAA Championships as West Taxes claimed the National Title.

Kaputin still holds the third longest outdoor triple jump mark (13.28m) in NCAA Division II history. Following her career in Canyon, Kaputin competed in the Tokyo Olympics and she is currently training on the Gold Coast looking to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Author: 
Loop Sports