Eshbach and Myerscough Claim NCAA Titles

Sacramento, Calif. - Carl Myercough won his first-ever outdoor shot put titleand Eric Eshbach won his first-ever national title in the pole vault for the Nebraska track and field team Friday at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, Calif.

Myerscough won the shot put in dramatic fashion, throwing the shot 71-11 on his very last attempt. The Hambleton, England, native saved his very last for best, when it looked like Missouri's Christian Cantwell would win the meet with his toss of 70-9 on his fifth attempt.

"Before the last round, I sat down on the bench and said a little prayer and told myself, this is my one opportunity to change the outcome of this thing," Myerscough said. "I tried to gather up every little bit of energy in my body and commit my whole life to that throw. I wanted to give absolutely everything. I have no recollection of the throw whatsoever. I just remember walking in the circle and I remember seeing it land, but I don't know how it got there. It was kind of magical in a way. It is just a fantastic feeling."

The three-time national champion has won the title at the NCAA Indoor Championships for the past two years, but after hurting himself in the discus competition in 2002, he finished eighth in the shot put.

"Carl's throw was wonderful," head coach Gary Pepin said. "He had one toss left and he really had to have a big throw. He could have had a great throw and still not have one. I knew when it left his hand that it was going to be far, but I didn't know if it would be enough. It was really exciting to watch."

Eshbach cleared 17-10 1/2 on his first attempt to take the national championship. Only three vaulters remained when the bar increased to 18-2 1/2, and all three missed at that height, but Eshbach won the title by being the only competitor to clear the previous height on the first attempt.

"It feels like I finally accomplished something," Eshbach said. "It feels great to finally win. I was just struggling so badly lately. I told coach that I just didn't want to practice at all, so I haven't really seen the track lately. It helped clear my mind. My approach was going horrible and now it feels great. Rick (Attig) has been around a long time and he has coached American records, and so many All-Americans, but he has never had anybody win NCAAs. I feel like I finally gave him something back after all the times he has put up with me."

The junior from Orangefield, Texas, finished second at the NCAA Indoor National Championships, March 14, clearing a height of 18-3 3/4.

Shot putter Carl Myerscough won first NCAA Outdoor title

"You've got a guy who has struggled outdoors after getting off to a good start indoors, and to be able to go through all the ups and downs, and come out and win the national championship, that is a tribute to him," head coach Gary Pepin said.

Becky Breisch won the bronze in the discus competition, with a final mark of 179-10. The Edwardsburg, Mich., native was in second after her first throw of the day, with a mark of 177-11. On her fifth attempt, Breisch sent the discus 179-10, on a throw that looked much longer. That throw kept her in second place until Stephanie Brown, a senior from Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, sent it 181-5 on her final throw. Deshaya Williams of Penn State won the competition with a mark of 181-9. Breisch won the silver in the discus as a freshman at the 2002 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

The sophomore added the fourth All-America honor to her resume, and will attempt to win a national championship in the shot put Saturday in her final event of the meet.

Ineta Radevica equaled her indoor finish with a fourth-place finish in the long jump, leaping a career-best 21-3 1/4. Radevica collected the sixth All-America honor of her career, and will go for the seventh and her first NCAA Championship Saturday in the triple jump.

"I had some really good jumps," Radevica said. "I was ready to jump, but the board wasn't on my side. Elva Goulbourne is a world-class jumper, and I didn't even think about her. I was really competing for second or third. I am ready to go in the triple jump."

Ashley Selig finally got underway in the heptathlon, taking a slow start out of the gate with a time of 14.94 in the 100-meter hurdles. She cleared a height of 5-5 in the high jump in her second event of the day, putting her in 17th place overall. In the shot put, Selig threw for a mark of 35-1 1/4 on her final attempt to drop her to 20thplace in the competition. On her final event of the first day, Selig ran a time of 25.94 in the 200-meter dash, to put her in 22nd place with 3,022 points after four events.

The Huskers will compete in the final day of the NCAA Championships Saturday, beginning at 12 p.m. CST. The Nebraska men are currently in fifth with 20 points and the women are in sixth with 11 points.