Sara Neubauer Qualifies to NCAA Finals in Shot Put

May 27, 2010

AUSTIN, Texas - Senior Sara Neubauer punched her ticket to the finals of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, as she finished within the top-12 of the shot put during the first day of competition at the NCAA West Preliminary Meet in Austin, Texas, on Thursday, May 27. Neubauer was one of 10 members of the Air Force program to take part in today's competition.

Competing in the national semifinal of the shot put, Neubauer finished ninth with a distance of 52'5¼". The recently-commissioned second lieutenant opened the meet with a toss of 51'5½", before recording a foul attempt. Neubauer recording the qualifying mark of 52'5¼" on her third chance of the trial round. During the final three attempts, she added a throw of 51'0¼" and a pair of foul marks.

The finals of the shot put are scheduled for Friday, June 11, in Eugene, Ore. This is the second consecutive year that Neubauer has advanced to the finals of the NCAA Championships.

Also competing in tonight's national semifinals were three javelin throwers and a member of the women's pole vault team. Junior Conner Van Fossen placed 20th in the men's javelin with a throw of 207'0", while senior Katie Weber and sophomore Paige Blackburn finished 36th (136'9") and 42nd (123'8"), respectively, in the women's event. In pole vault, sophomore Kimber Shealy finished 33rd with a clearance of 12'3½". Overall, Shealy's mark was tied for the seventh best on the day.

While the field events were contested as a national semifinal, today's track events were considered a "first-round" event.

Winning her heat of the 800-meter run, senior Ally Romanko advanced to tomorrow's national quarterfinals. Finishing in a time of 2:08.06, Romanko edged out reigning Mountain West Conference champion, Lacey Cramer of BYU, on the final straightaway to earn the automatic spot in the quarterfinal round. Overall, Romanko placed 16th in the field of 48, as the top 24 runners qualified to tomorrow's second round.

Also on the track, a trio of sophomore runners participated in first-round races. Bryce Bergman just missed a spot in the quarterfinals, as he finished 31st in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 52.43. Fellow sophomore Alex Zubey placed 35th in the 1500-meter run after crossing the finish line in 3:51.25, while classmate Manuel Smith finished 43rd in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.29.

Junior Tyler Stanley competed in the first-round of the 800-meter run and placed 42nd with a time of 1:51.45.

The Falcons continue action at the West Preliminary of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships tomorrow (May 28) in Austin, Texas. Both Neubauer and Bergman will return to Mike A. Myers Stadium with new events, as Neubauer will participate in the national semifinal of the discus throw and Bergman will run in the national first-round of the 110-meter hurdles. Nick Frawley (pole vault) and Robert Drye (hammer throw) will also compete tomorrow.

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