Chizoba Okodogbe

For most athletes, becoming one of the best as a high school sophomore is a rare achievement. Success usually comes with time, experience, and development. For Deer Valley High School’s Chizoba Okodogbe, however, success arrived early. Her toughest competition during her sophomore season came not from rival schools, but from teammate Jasmine Cox, the 2008 CIF State Meet fourth-place finisher in the 400 meters and a future Antioch Sports Legends Hall of Fame Inductee (2024).

That year, Chizoba learned what it meant to finish second, placing runner-up at League, NCS III-A, and the NCS Meet of Champions. She advanced to the CIF State Meet, where she finished seventh in the 400 meters and helped Deer Valley’s 4×400 relay team earn a third-place finish. Coached by Bernard Stephens and assistant Willie Evers, it would be one of the few times she saw competitors cross the finish line ahead of her.

As a junior and senior, Chizoba dominated, winning League, NCS III-A, and the NCS Meet of Champions both years. She placed third in the 400 meters at the CIF State Meet as a junior and improved to second as a senior with a blazing 53.42, becoming the only Antioch track and field athlete to earn a top three individual finish at two separate State Meets. She also helped lead Deer Valley’s 4×400 relay team to a fourth-place State finish.

Her success earned her a scholarship to the University of Oregon, known as “Track Town USA.” Competing for the Ducks, Chizoba lowered her personal best 400 to 52.20 and finished second in the Pac-12 Championships as a senior. Renowned as a relay specialist, she and her teammates earned NCAA All-American honors 13 times in indoor and outdoor competition. In 2025, Chizoba and her 2011-2014 Oregon relay teammates were inducted into the University of Oregon Athletic Hall of Fame.