Hamilton, Fourie, McGruder Earn First All-America Awards

Fayetteville, Ark. ? The Nebraska track and field team closed out the 2010 indoor season at the NCAA Championships on Saturday with three All-America performances to give the Huskers six All-America awards at the two-day meet. In the team standing, the men tied for 26th and the women placed 27th. <?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

The third time was a charm for junior Paul Hamilton in the high jump as he captured his first career All-America honor with a third-place finish after placing 12th as a freshman and tying for 13th last season. Hamilton opened with two straight first-attempt makes at 6-10 1/4 and 7-0 1/4, before taking two attempts at both the 7-2 1/4 and 7-3 1/4 bars. With the field narrowed to four jumpers, Hamilton was down to his final attempt at 7-4 1/2, but dug deep to clear. Hamilton and two other jumpers then went on to the 7-5 1/4 bar, where only eventual champion Derek Drouin of Indiana would clear. NU’s Brandon Sheppard also put on a fine performance in his first NCAA appearance, as the junior cleared 6-10 1/4 and 7-0 1/4 to finish 15th.

 

Lehann Fourie added a seventh-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.84 to earn the first All-America honor of his career and the second straight award for the NU hurdlers, with Kirkland Thornton finishing fourth last season. Fourie, who placed 10th in the hurdles at the national meet last season, broke his own school record during the preliminaries on Friday night with a time of 7.67.

 

Senior Leandra McGruder was the last Husker to earn All-America honors, as she placed 13th overall, but eighth among American jumpers with a jump of 41-10 3/4. Already a two-time NCAA qualifier outdoors, McGruder was competing in her first NCAA Indoor Championships.

 

Natalie Willer came close to earning her first All-America honor, but fell short with a 10th-place finish in the women’s pole vault. Willer started by clearing 13-1 1/2 on her first attempt, took three tries at 13-5 1/4 and then cleared 13-9 1/4 on her first try. With the bar now at 13-11 1/4, Willer and four other vaulters cleared the bar, but only Vica Shobe of South Carolina cracked the top eight as she cleared the first four bars of the competition without a miss.

 

Bjorn Barrefors started day two of the men’s heptathlon in third place and had a shot at repeating as an All-American in the event, but fell short with an 11th-place finish. After producing two personal bests on Friday, Barrefors opened Saturday with a fifth-place showing the 60 hurdles. He then placed 10th in the pole vault and 14th in the 1,000 meters.

 

In the women’s pentathlon, both Chantae McMillan and Megan Wheatley were in search of their second straight All-America honors in event, but neither Husker was able to finish the competition due to injury.

 

The Huskers will now turn their attention to the 2010 outdoor season and are set to open at the Baldy Castillo Invitational on Saturday, March 20 in Tempe, Ariz.

 

2010 NU All-Americans

Epley Bullock: High Jump (t-3rd) ? 4th of Career Indoors

Paul Hamilton: High Jump (3rd) ? 1st of Career Indoors

Audrey Svane: High Jump (6th) ? 1st of Career Indoors

Lehann Fourie: 60 Hurdles (7th) ? 1st of Career Indoors
Bobby Carter: Long Jump (12th/8th American) ? 1st of Career Indoors

Leandra McGruder: Triple Jump (13th/8th American) ? 1st of Career Indoors