Trubachik, Osman, Brookins, McNeill, Tyrell, and Merkley
The Big Sky Collects Six All-American Honors
T. William Gooch
PDF of Big Sky Release
Northern Arizona’s David McNeill successfully defended his 5,000-meter title when he held off Liberty’s Sam Chelenga to finish in a time of 13:44.81, claiming his second national championship this season.
McNeill led off and on throughout the race, but as he crossed the stripe for the bell lap, the Australia native took off from Chelenga and Chris Derrick of Stanford. Chelenga would close the gap down the backstretch, but McNeill’s lead was too much for him to overcome.
Idaho State senior Cassie Merkley finished eighth in the heptathlon at the NCAA Championship Thursday garnering 5,430 points, her best score this season and earning All-America status.
Sacramento State’s Ronald Brookins recorded a season-best long jump of 24-10.00 to earn All-America honors. Brookins finished ninth in the field but was one of the top eight Americans.
Northern Arizona’s Ahmed Osman gained All-American status after finishing 15th overall in the men’s 10,000-meter run. This is the second All-American award for the San Diego native after a ninth-place finish in the 10K last year.
Montana State’s Emily Tyrrell placed tenth in the women’s javelin Saturday with a throw of 158-9 in a field where there were only six U.S. citizens in the top ten finishers.
Portland State’s Nick Trubachik, who went on to finish seventh-place in the decathlon competition at the NCAA Track & Field Championships with a U.S. Nationals qualifying score of 7,510 points. Trubachik finishes his career at Portland State as an All-American, the first on the Park Blocks since 1996.