Three Athletes Earn All-American on Day 1 in Bradenton
Bradenton, Fla. – The University of Findlay men's and women's track and field teams began their final event of the year, the NCAA Division II National Championship, on Thursday, May 26.
The best finisher of the afternoon came in the women's hammer throw where junior Erica King claimed her position as national runner-up after being crowned as the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) champion two weeks ago. King's best throw came on her second attempt, a toss that measured 195'2". With the second place finish, King earns all-American status for the second consecutive year. Last year, she finished in eighth place in the event.
Junior Liz Streacker also earned all-American honors in the hammer throw, finishing in ninth place. Her best throw came in her first attempt, a throw of 187'9".
Senior Michael Bruce was the lone male athlete who earned all-American status on Thursday with his performance in the long jump. Bruce, who was both an indoor and outdoor all-American last season, took 11th in the competition, good enough for second-team all-American. His jump measured 24'4.25".
In the prelims of the women's 400 meter hurdles, senior Maud Sanmiquel has qualified for the finals with the third-best time of the day. Her time of 59.57 won the first heat and places her in a good position to earn a spot on the podium.
Senior Lydia Guagenti is also in good position to step up on the podium as she finds herself in second place after four events in the heptathlon. She scored 3,218 points on Thursday, headlined by 928 points earned in her best event, the high jump. Guagenti won the high jump portion of the heptathlon, reaching a season-best height of 5'9.5". The event will conclude tomorrow, Friday, May 27, with the remaining three events. Long jump will be at 10:30am, javelin throw at noon, and the 800 meter run at 1:30pm.
The National Championship meet will continue tomorrow. Live coverage of all the events can be found at: http://www.ncaa.com/liveschedule