Sophomore triple jumper Shanieka Thomas capped things off in high style for the Aztecs, breaking the school record three times on six attempts en route to a second-place finish in the event. Thomas, whose previous personal best was 44'-8.0," turned in an effort of 45'-9.75" on her final attempt, erasing the previous record of 44'-9.0" set by Karoline Koehler in 2009. Thomas' effort also eclipsed the Mountain West outdoor record of 44'-8.25" set by BYU's Kamila Rywelska in 2005.
With her second-place finish, Thomas became the third SDSU athlete to garner first-team All-American honors at this year's national meet, joining senior Whitney Ashley and sophomore Allison Reaser. Ashley won a national title in the discus on Wednesday, while Reaser finished sixth on Friday in the heptathlon.
Junior Alex Evans finished 14th (42'-6.25") in the triple jump competition for the Aztecs, who tied for ninth with Tennessee (21.00 points) in the team standings. It was SDSU's best finish at the national meet since 1985.
Southern Mississippi senior Ganna Demydova won the triple jump title with an effort of 46'-7.25."
In other news from the final day of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships:
Air Force senior Jim Walmsley finished 12th in the finals of the men's 3,000-meter Steeplechase, posting a time of 8:57.99 to earn second-team All-American honors. Walmsley qualified for the finals after finishing in a career-best time of 8:41.05 in Thursday's prelims. Walmsley's mark on Thursday was the third-fastest in Air Force history. Princeton senior Donn Cabral won the event, posting a time of 8:35.44.
Boise State freshman and MW Champion Emma Bates earned second-team All-American honors in the women's 5,000-meter run, finishing 12th in a time of 16:43.84. In addition to being the first member of the school's women's team to garner All-American status in the event, Bates turned in the top time among all freshmen competing in Saturday's race. It was just her third time competing in a 5,000-meter race this season. Dartmouth sophomore Abbey D'Agostino won the event in a time of 16:11.34.
The MW crowned three national champions during this year's meet, including San Diego State's Whitney Ashley, Boise State's Kurt Felix (men's decathlon) and TCU's Whitney Gipson (women's long jump).
Ten MW athletes earned first-team All-American honors at this year's meet, including SDSU's Whitney Ashley (women's discus); UNLV's Amanda Bingson (women's hammer throw); Boise State's Kurt Felix (men's decathlon); TCU's Whitney Gipson (women's long jump); SDSU's Allison Reaser (heptathlon); New Mexico's Floyd Ross (men's triple jump); TCU's Charles Silmon (men's 100 meters); Air Force's Cale Simmons (men's pole vault); SDSU's Shanieka Thomas (women's triple jump); and New Mexico's Sarah Waldron (women's 10,000 meters).
Florida won the men's team title with 50.00 points, while LSU took home honors on the women's side with 76.00 points.
Air Force junior Cale Simmons garnered first-team All-American honors by finishing in a tie for fifth in the men's pole vault. Simmons, who set a MW record at last month's league championships with a vault of 18'-1.75," posted an effort of 17'-8.50" on Friday, finishing in a tie with Liberty's Kolby Shepherd. Oral Roberts junior Jack Whitt won the national title with a mark of 18'-6.50." Simmons also earned All-American honors in March when he finished fifth at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
TCU junior Charles Silmon, the MW record holder in the men's 100-meter dash, earned first-team All-American honors with a seventh-place finish in the finals of the event on Friday. Silmon, who posted a time of 10.05 during Wednesday's prelims, clocked in at 10.39 in the finals. He set the MW record at last month's NCAA West Region Championship Prelims with a mark of 10.04. Illinois senior Andrew Riley won Friday's final in a time of 10.28.
Colorado State senior Nicole Peters, who established a personal-best time of 10:12.61 during Wednesday's prelims in the women's 3,000-meter Steeplechase, finished 12th in Friday's finals in a time of 10:46.10. Colorado junior Shalaya Kipp posted a winning time of 9:49.02. Peters was the 2012 MW champion in the event.
Mick McGrane has covered the Mountain West since the league's inception in 1999. He spent 12 years at the San Diego Union-Tribune, where he served as the beat writer for San Diego State football and men's basketball. He currently represents the MW as a member of the Football Writers Association of America All-America Committee and is a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. McGrane serves as senior writer to the Mountain West, providing readers with exclusive, in-depth information about the Conference by highlighting its 10 member institutions and contributing feature stories on student-athletes that participate in the league's 18 sponsored sports.
Mark Knudson is a Colorado State journalism school graduate and a 12-year veteran of professional baseball. During his playing career, Mark pitched for three major league teams, including the Colorado Rockies, where he was the first Colorado native to play for the hometown team. He recorded wins over three of the four legendary pitchers who make up the 4,000 strikeout club: Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens. His win over Ryan came for the Milwaukee Brewers on Opening Day in 1991.
Leave a comment