NATIONAL CHAMP! Penn State's Yon Wins NCAA Title In the Discus Throw
GENEVA, Ohio – Penn State Harrisburg's Cameron Yon became the first student-athlete in school history to win a national championship when he secured gold in the discus throw at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships held at the SPIRE Institute on Thursday morning, May 23.
Yon, the reigning U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Mideast Regional Field Athlete of the Year, entered the competition with the top mark in the nation and backed it up with a throw of 51.66 meters; a mark good enough to secure him the national title and the third USTFCCCA All-America honor of his illustrious career.
The senior was the first athlete in program history to qualify for an NCAA Championship event as a freshman in 2016. The Patuxent River, Md. native was also the first Penn State Harrisburg athlete to earn all-America honors, winning bronze in the event during his first trip to the national meet. His latest achievement tops them all, with his most-recent effort clinching the school's first-ever national championship.
Day one of the event also saw Rae Rae Taylor in action in the women's heptathlon. The sophomore currently sits eighth overall in the event after setting a new PR in the 100m hurdles with a time of 15.24 seconds, clearing 1.54 meters in the high jump, throwing the shot put 10.68 meters and crossing the finish line in 26.29 seconds in the 200m dash. Taylor will finish up her two-day competition with the long jump, javelin throw and 800m run tomorrow.
Alex White also had a strong outing in the men's long jump. The junior's top bound of 7.15 meters was good enough to earn him a ninth-place finish in the event; just one spot shy of the all-America mark. White improved his seed coming into the national meet by five places.
Jalil Clayton also improved nicely on his men's 400m hurdle seed heading into the competition. The senior was ranked 20th entering Thursday's race but finished 12th thanks to his jaunt of 53.84 seconds. Clayton will return to action tomorrow afternoon when he takes part in the preliminary portion of the 110m hurdles.
Taylor and Clayton are back on the track on Friday afternoon, while Sarah Lehman is set to compete in the women's triple jump on Saturday, May 25.
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Salisbury University track & field athletes Kyleigh Dumas and Jamie Farley competed in the 2019 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Thursday at the SPIRE Institute.
"This was Kyleigh's highest height at an NCAA championship and I am very proud of her for that," head coach Jim Jones said. "She continues to surprise me with new heights and records. This is a good experience for her because she now knows she can compete with the best in the country."
Dumas captured a 14th-place finish in the event clearing the bar at a height of 12' 3.5." She improved on her height from a year ago when she cleared the bar at a height of 11' 11.75" at the 2018 national championships.
"I'm glad that I got in the competition and put up a good fight," Dumas said. "I'm not exactly happy with how I placed, I was really hoping for a better day overall but there is always next year. I am happy though that I am now consistently clearing bars above 12 feet."
Farley competed in the preliminaries of the 200-meter dash on Thursday evening and finished 20th overall in the event, crossing the finish line in a time of 26.00 seconds.
"It was a tough start for Jamie but I know she will use this performance as motivation for tomorrow," Jones said. "Today will serve as a good warmup for tomorrow in the 400-meter preliminaries. We talked about getting off to a quick start and not to panic if you are behind early. I know she will run with the fire she always brings and be ready to go."
Farley will return to track on Friday, May 24 at 3 p.m. (Eastern Time) to compete in the 400-meter preliminaries.
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University of Mary Washingotn junior Erin Andrewlevich advanced through preliminary action and to the finals in the 200 meters at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Cleveland, Ohio on Thursday. Andrewlevich will advance to Saturday's finals as the sixth seed, as she ran to a time of 24.72.
Andrewlevich will also compete in the 400 meter prelims on Friday at 3:00 p.m.