Colorado State University Athletics
CSU track and field heads to national championship meet
6/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Outdoor Track & Field
June 8, 2009
By John Manuszak
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State track and field program has had at least one outdoor All-American in every season since 1995, and the Rams hope that this season will be no different.
Senior throwers Missy Faubus (shot put) and Alex Godell (hammer throw), along with junior distance runner Wil Buchanan (1,500-meter run) will represent CSU this weekend at the NCAA championship meet, hosted by the University of Arkansas from Wednesday to Saturday.
“We would obviously like to keep our All-American steak alive,” said CSU Head Coach Brian Bedard. “I really like the group we have heading out there and I think they have earned it through their hard work. I think all three athletes have a chance to advance to the finals in their events and once you reach the finals, you are in a good spot to reach All-American.”
To earn All-America status, an athlete must be one of the top eight Americans in the event, so often times athletes finishing outside the top eight overall still have a chance to reach that honor.
Faubus and Godell will kick off action for the Rams with the prelims of their respective events on Wednesday. Godell, seeded eighth overall in the hammer throw, will compete at 8:30 a.m. MDT, while Faubus will open up with the shot put prelims at 2:15 p.m. Faubus, the 16th seed, competed at the NCAA championship meet last season in the shot put and discus, but did not advance out of the qualifying rounds in either event.
Both Faubus and Godell will look to place in the top 12 in the qualifying rounds in their respective events to advance to the finals. The shot put final is set for Thursday at 2:45 p.m., while the hammer throw final is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Friday.
“Both Alex and Missy have a great chance to do well at this meet,” said Bedard. “For Alex, he has the talent to be one of the top competitors but now he just has to get the job done when the pressure is on. Missy has been to this meet before but this year she has focused on the shot put, which should be an advantage for her. I really like where she is at now. We want both athletes to get to the finals and see what happens.”
Buchanan will make his NCAA championship debut on Thursday evening in the 1,500-meter run prelims. He is seeded 22nd in a stacked field of middle-distance runners. The final for the 1,500 meters is set for Saturday at 11:21 a.m.
“The 1,500 meters is one of the premier events of the weekend and the field is just full of top notch middle-distance runners,” said Bedard. “It’s going to be a challenge for Wil, but he’s such a good competitor, you just never know.”
CBS College Sports will be airing live coverage of the NCAA championships on Friday (5 p.m. MDT) and Saturday (11 a.m. MDT). Fans can also watch live on the NCAA Web site by clicking here.