2018 NCAA Championships Schedule | USTFCCCA Champ Central | Broadcast Schedule | Results
EUGENE, ORE. – Memphis’ Ashley Pryke (javelin throw) and Martina Rodriguez Sala (1,500-meter run) highlighted the Day 2 action of the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships, as 11 of the 12 national women qualifiers representing The American competed in eight events on Thursday at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Eight athletes secured first or second team All-America honors for finishing in the top 16 of their respective events.
Pryke placed fifth in the javelin throw to earn her second-straight first team All-America honor. She placed seventh overall in the national finals with her toss of 53.85 meters (176-8). Her mark bettered her all-time American record set in 2017. Rodriguez Sala ran a school-record 1,500m time of 4:15.35 to advance to Saturday’s finals. Her time is also good for ranking No. 1 on The American’s all-time performance list.
Three women represented The American in the shot put, as ECU’s Galissia Cause (10th), USTFCCCA Northeast Region Field Athlete of the Year Divine Oladipo of UConn (12th) and two-time conference outdoor champion Tochi Nlemchi of SMU (16th) each collected second team All-America awards. Oladipo will be back in action on Saturday to compete in the discus throw. Teammate and two-time conference 800-meter run champion Susan Aneno ran 2:06.58 in the national semifinals to conclude her season with a second team All-America finish.
The American’s 2018 sprints champion, Brianne Bethel of Houston, placed 16th overall in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes to earn second All-America recognition. Former American champion, Latessa Johnson of SMU, also ran in the 200m. Johnson, the school record-holder in the event, claimed 18th place in 23.14 to wrap up her junior campaign.
Four-time American Athletic Conference outdoor champion Jessica Duckett raced to a time of 58.22 seconds in the national semifinals of the 400-meter hurdles, placing fifth in her heat and 11th overall to bring her season to a conclusion. Houston’s Birexus Hawkins, who won 400mH at this year’s conference meet, made her debut at the NCAA Championships, finishing 24th. Houston’s only field competitor at the NCAA Championships, Samiyah Samuels also made her debut in Oregon with an 18th-place finish in the long jump.
The women will wrap up their action at the national championship on Saturday, as three conference athletes are set to compete in a final. The action will be streamed live on the ESPN family of networks. The men’s national meet will conclude on Friday with the remaining finals events. The coverage will be streamed on ESPN3 and ESPN.