Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
NCAA Championships
CSU's DeLoach repeats as All-American
6/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Outdoor Track & Field
June 12, 2008
By Zak Gilbert
Athletic Media Relations
On the last jump of her college career Thursday, the Colorado State senior earned All-America honors in the long jump for a second straight season by breaking her own school record with a leap of 21 feet, 3¼ inches.
"It's a great story," said Head Coach Brian Bedard. "That's the way you'd like it to happen with all your athletes."
That story, recorded on Day 2 of the NCAA outdoor track and field championships at Drake Stadium, will go down as one of the most memorable moments in program history.
"She did a great job as usual," Bedard said. "She was in fifth going into the finals and got passed. Then it came down to her last jump in the finals, and she was just really was determined to move up. It was a very aggressive last jump. She carried her speed well and I think if she would have finished a little better on her landing, she would've gone even farther in sand."
A psychology major from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., DeLoach concluded an outstanding career, breaking her CSU record of 21-0.75, set June 7, 2007, at last season's NCAAs in Sacramento, Calif. And like 2007, DeLoach on Thursday finished sixth in the national finals of the event.
The effort was just 1½ feet from winning a national championship. Mississippi's Brittney Reese (22-09.00) took the crown. The Rams' track and field program now has produced at least one All-American in each of the last 15 seasons, every year since 1994.
Look for DeLoach to compete at the U.S. Olympic trials later this month.
The only other CSU athlete in action Thursday was Missy Faubus, who finished 17th in the preliminary round of the women's shot put (51-01.00), falling short of the finals.
Friday is a busy day for the Rams. Three athletes will battle to join DeLoach as an All-American. Jason Schutz, who recorded the longest discus throw among the nation's best in Wednesday's preliminaries, begins CSU's day at 2:15 MDT in the national finals of that event. Kristen Hemphill follows in the finals of the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 6:25 MDT, while Drew Morano concludes the day in the national finals of the 400-meter dash at 7:25 p.m. MDT.
