An “Honorable” Way To Finish A Collegiate Career
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Sam Houston’s Matt Johnson finished 15th in the men’s decathlon finals at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Johnson scored 7,697 points.
His 15th place finish earns the Bearkat senior honorable mention All-America honors.
Starting Thursday’s action with a sixth place 14.56 clocking in the 110 meter hurdles and a decathlon personal best of 156 feet 10 inches in the discus, Johnson climbed into seventh place overall after seven events.
He ended the day with a 16th place finish in the pole vault (14 feet, nine inches), 11th in the javelin (176 feet, five inches) and a 4:52.83 time in the 1500 meters.
The top eight finishers in the event were named as first team All-America and places nine through 16 were second team selections.
Johnson finished just 51 points out of the top 12.
Johnson started Thursday in 14th place after scoring 3,962 points in the initial five events held Wednesday afternoon.
Johnson started Wednesday placing fifth in the 100 meters with a time of 10.70.
He was 15th in the long jump with a leap of 23 feet, 3.25 inches.
In the shot put, Johnson placed 10th with a throw of 44 feet, 5.5 inches.
He was 22nd in the high jump, clearing 6 feet 1.5 inches. Johnson completed Wednesday’s action with a 13th place 50.10 in the 400 meters.
Charles White is the second Sam Houston track and field athlete who has earned a trip to Eugene.
White will compete in the triple jump Saturday evening.
Pair of Bearkats Set To Compete In NCAA Finals
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Competition in the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field championships begins Wednesday at historic Hayward Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
Sam Houston’s two entrants will book end the championships as Matt Johnson starts action in the decathlon Wednesday morning and Charles White will compete in one of the final events on Saturday in the triple jump.
Johnson enters the decathlon ranked No. 15 in the field of 24 with a season best mark of 7,496 points.
Four of last season’s top eight decathletes are back this season.
A pair of freshmen also look to compete for the title.
Johannes Jock of Texas is the top seed at 8,293, narrowly ahead of Maicel Uibo of Georgia at 8,223.
Indoor heptathlon national champ Kevin Lazas of Arkansas also is in the field.
Johnson earned his spot in the 2013 NCAA field by winning the Southland Conference championship in May in Lake Charles.
The decathlon will begin at 12 noon (Pacific time) Wednesday, June 5, with the 100 meters.
Other events on Wednesday at the long jump, shot put, high jump and 400 meter dash.
Thursday, June 6, action begins at 11 a.m. (Pacific time) with the 110 hurdles, followed by the discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500 meters.
White will have to wait until the championship’s final day on Saturday, June 8, when the triple jump begins at 12:30 p.m. (Pacific time).
The runner-up at the Southland Conference in May, White finished 12th at the NCAA West Preliminary Round to qualify for the NCAA finals.
His mark of 51 feet, 3.5 inches ranks No. 15 among the event’s 24 competitors.
Teammates Marquis Dendy and Omar Craddock of Florida are the pair to beat in the triple jump.
Dendy won the 2013 NCAA indoor long jump champion title.
Craddock is the only triple jumper in the field to reach 54 feet this outdoor season.
Two others, Dave Brown of Texas A&M and Tarik Batchelor of Arkansas, both have jumped farther than 53 feet.
Johnson and White both have the opportunity to earn All-America honors.
The top eight finishers in each individual event as first team All-America honorees while ninth through 16th places receive second team selection.
Bearkats To Compete In NCAA Preliminaries In Austin
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Action at the 2013 NCAA Division I West Outdoor Track and Field Preliminary Round begins Thursday for Sam Houston’s nine entries.
The three days of competition take place at Mike A. Myers Stadium and feature some of the nation’s premier student-athletes.
Qualifying teams and individuals advance to the 2013 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon on June 5-8, 2013.
To advance to the NCAA Finals in Oregon, each of the West Preliminary Round competitors must finish among the top 12 in their respective event.
Karique Stephen and Charles White enter the NCAA West meet with the highest regional rankings of any Bearkat, both competing in the triple jump.
Stephen, a senior from Baytown, stands No. 11 with a best mark of 51’ 9”.
White, a junior from Las Vegas, Nev., ranks No. 16 with a top performance of 51’ 3.75”.
The pair placed first and second in the triple jump at the Southland Conference championships in Lake Charles.
Sam Houston’s Brek Christensen and Trevor Sealy both will throw in the men’s hammer.
Sealy, a junior from Pearland, stands No. 26 with a top mark of 200 feet nine inches. Christensen, a senior from Cypress Fairbanks, owns a best throw 198 feet six inches to rank No. 30 in the competition.
In both the hammer and the triple jump, the 16 best marks (after tiebreakers) will qualify from the first round of three preliminary attempts to a final round of three tries.
The top 12 advance to the NCAA meet.
The hammer is scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m.
The triple jump will wrap up the meet Saturday at 6 p.m.
Matt Johnson, senior from Port Neches Groves, already has qualified for a trip to Eugene in the decathlon.
Johnson won the Southland Conference men’s decathlon championship last weekend in Lake Charles with a final point total of 7,496.
Johnson also will compete in the West Preliminary Round in the 110 hurdles where he will joined by teammate Matthew Viverette.
A junior from Barbers Hill, Viverette will compete in both hurdles events.
He comes into the meet ranked No. 23 in the 400 hurdles (51.54) and No. 25 in the 110 hurdles (14.11).
Johnson stands No. 45 in the 110 hurdles (14.35).
The first round of the 400 hurdles will start at 5 p.m. Thursday with the quarterfinals on Friday at 7:45 p.m.
The 110 hurdles first round is Friday at 5:30 p.m. with quarterfinals Saturday at 7:20 p.m.
Kristen Mitchell and Jarrick Wright will represent the Bearkats in the 100 meters. Mitchell, a junior from Houston, stands No. 29 in the West with a best time of 10.46 this spring.
Wright’s best mark is 10.56 which earned the Houston Eisenhower a No. 48 ranking.
The first round of the 100 meters is set for 6:55 p.m. Thursday with the quarterfinals to decide who advances to Oregon Friday at 6:45 p.m.
In both the hurdles events and the 100 meters, the top three finishers from six first round heats plus the next six fastest times will advance to the quarterfinals.
Shelbie Zotyka is the lone Sam Houston woman’s competitor in the NCAA West Meet.
The senior from Wallis won the Southland Conference women’s pole vault with a mark of 12 feet, 10.75 inches.
She enters the NCAA West Meet with a No. 43 regional ranking.
The women’s pole vault is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday.
Sam Houston’s NCAA West Preliminary Round Schedule:
Thursday, May 23
5 p.m. – Men’s 400 meter hurdles first round
6:55 p.m. – Men’s 100 meter dash first round
Friday, May 24
1 p.m. – Women’s pole vault
2 p.m. – Men’s hammer
5:30 p.m. – Men’s 110 meter hurdles first round
6:45 p.m. – Men’s 100 meter dash quarterfinals
7:45 p.m. – Men’s 400 meter hurdles quarterfinals
Saturday, May 25
6 p.m. – Men’s triple jump
7:20 p.m. – Men’s 110 meter hurdles quarterfinals
SHSU Runner’s Up To Rival SFA In SLC Track And Field Championships
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Paced by gold medals by Karique Stephen, De’Quad Binder and Matthew Johnson, the Sam Houston men’s team finished as the runner-up in the 2013 Southland Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships Sunday in Lake Charles, La.
Stephen F. Austin won the men’s competition with 162 points.
Sam Houston State was second with 137.5.
The performance gives the Bearkat men bookend Southland runner-up trophies after Sam Houston also finished as the runner-up at the Southland Indoor meet in February.
Stephen won the triple jump with a mark of 51’ 9”.
His Bearkat teammate Charles White placed second with a distance of 51’ 3.75”.
Binder earned the Southland 800 meters championship with a time of 1:53.39.
Johnson took gold in the decathlon with 7,496 points Friday and Saturday.
Johnson won eight of the 10 events. Johnson also was a third place finisher in the 110 meter hurdles (14.35)
Matthew Viverette was the runner-up in the 110 meter hurdles (141.31)and placed third in the 400 meter hurdles (52.89).
Trevor Sealy placed second in the hammer (196’ 11”)
Sam Houston’s 4×100 relay of Treyvion White, Kristen Mitchell, Jarrick Wright and Leroy Harris were runners-up with a 41.19 clocking.
Andrew Waller, Viverette, Binder and Rodney Jones were runners-up in the 4×400 relay (3:14.75).
Clint Anders placed third in the 1500 meters (3:52.30). Rodney Jones was third in the 400 meters (47.21)
The Bearkat women earned a third place team finish behind Stephen F. Austin (171) and McNeese (134).
Sam Houston scored 100 points.
Adriene Quillin, Shelbie Zotyka and the women’s 4×400 relay brought home gold medals Sunday.
Quillin won the hammer with a throw of 181’ 5”. Zotyka vaulted 12’ 10.75”.
Tonicia Wimberley, Lygia Foreman, Ruth Amaku and Jordan Grady combined for a winning time of 3:41.40.
Amaku also was the runner-up in the 400 meter hurdles (1:00.91).
Winnie Ileso placed third in the 100 meter hurdles (14.08) and Foreman was third in the 400 meter dash (55.44)