Colorado State University Athletics
Five Rams Advance To NCAA Championships
6/2/2003 12:00:00 AM | Outdoor Track & Field
On Friday and Saturday, the Colorado State track and field teams went up against the elite of the region at the Midwest Regional at the University of Nebraska. The men finished in 10th place with 28 points, while the women were 13th with 23.25 points and five individuals finished in the top five to advance to the NCAA Championships June 11-14 at Sacramento State University.
Sophomore Mike Nicks finished fifth in the steeplechase on Saturday and broke the school record with his time of 8:48.59. He breaks the record of 8:49.70 held by Elliot Drumright from 1979 -- a record that has stood longer than Nicks has been alive. Teammate Raegan Robb also broke the nine-minute barrier, running an 8:56.29 to finish eighth.
Senior Drew Loftin will represent Colorado State in two events at the NCAA Championships after finishing second in the hammer with a throw of 216-10 and then finishing fourth in the discus with a throw of 191-8. Teammate Brian Trainor was second in the discus with a throw of 199-10, which is a personal best throw for the senior.
Junior Keela Niemeyer will also represent the Rams in two events at the championships after finishing fifth in both the shot put (50-2) on Friday and the discus (160-6) on Saturday. Senior Hannah Metzler narrowly missed the top five in the shot put, finishing sixth behind Niemeyer after a toss of 49-7.75.
On Friday evening, junior Katie Yemm qualified for the 1500 meter finals after finishing 10th with a time of 4:31.84. Junior Christine Ahn tied for eighth place in the pole vault after clearing 12-0.5. Both Bill and Paul Michel qualified for the finals in the 1500 meters, as well, with junior Bill running a 3:50.94 to finish ninth and freshman Paul clocking in at 3:52.73 for 12th.
On Saturday, senior Meg Larson placed second in the steeplechase after running a 10:34.44 to advance to the NCAA Championship for the third straight year in the new event. Yemm finished seventh in the 1500 meters with a 4:28.08, missing the NCAA cut by two places and the Michel brothers both missed the cut after Paul finished seventh and Bill placed ninth.
Competition at the 83rd annual NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will begin on June 11 at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific) with the women?s discus, an event in which Niemeyer will be competing for the Rams. The championships will run through June 14. For more information on the NCAA Championship please go to the Sacramento State website at hornetsports.com.
