EUGENE, Ore. – The Arizona men's track and field team placed 23rd at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon on Friday behind a fourth-place finish in the discus from Gerhard De Beer. In addition, Alyssa Thompson posted 3,174 points on the first day of the heptathlon and stands in 21st place.
“It was a good day for both the men and women today.” head coach Harvey said. “They did a good job and got us back in that top-25 position.”
De Beer, from Pretoria, South Africa, finished with a mark of 199 ft. - 9 in. (60.88m) to earn first-team All-America honors.
“Gerhard was great.” Harvey added. “Almost two-hundred feet and you can't ask for more than that.”
Thompson, a Tucson native, began her heptathlon with a personal-best in the 100-meter hurdles at 14.30 seconds for 936 points. In the high jump, she posted a mark of 5 ft. - 3 in. (1.60m) for 736 points. Next was the shot put where she threw a mark of 36 ft. - 0.25 in. (10.98m) for 594 points. The last event of the day was the 200-meters, where she clocked in at 24.77 seconds for 908 points.
“Alyssa keeps getting better and better," said Harvey. "I was very satisfied with her performance.”
Tomorrow, the Track Cats will see Thompson back in action for day two of the heptathlon along with teammate Lisanne Hagens competing in the high jump final. Hagens is the reigning Pac-12 champion in the event.
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