Cleveland, OH--The first two days at the NCAA Track & Field Championships were full of excitement, surprises, and disappointment for the Ephs. Several athletes' seasons have ended earlier than expected. At least one other athlete is going home an All-American. In addition, the 2010 track season will end with a faster school record in the 800m race.
On the men's side several Ephs finished below expectations and failed to qualify for the finals in their events. However, when the stakes are this high, it's hard to guarantee a strong performance every time. Freshman Jabulani Blyden failed to qualify in the 400m hurdles, as he finished fourth in his heat and missed advancing by .5 seconds. The 4x400m team also failed to qualify for the finals. Even though they ran a season's best time of 3:14.6, they still finished .5 seconds behind the last team to advance to the finals. Freshman Stephen Simalchek had not lost in the javelin coming into this meet. On Thursday, however, Simalchek struggled and finished last of the 16 competitors. Senior Edgar Kosgey also finished last in his heat, running 1:56 in the 800m.
On the women's side, the 4x100m team came up short of qualifying for the finals. A poor baton pass cost the team. Tanasia Hoffler jumped 18'2.25'' in the long jump, and was two inches short of making the final in that event.
However, there were many bright spots over the past two days for the Ephs. Most notably, freshman Jennifer Gossels finished 7th in the 10000m in a time of 36:30. Her 7th place finish makes Gossels an All-American as a freshman. Also, junior Lizzy Danhakl broke her own school record in the 800m, running a lifetime best time of 2:10.54.
The rest of the Ephs will be competing in finals on Saturday. Stay tuned for more meet coverage.
