Viverette advances to NCAA Finals
5/31/2015 12:23:00 AM | Track & Field
AUSTIN – Matthew Viverette didn't leave anything to chance on Saturday, finishing second in his heat of the 110-meter hurdles in the NCAA West Preliminary to earn an automatic qualifying spot to the finals in Eugene Oregon.
Viverette's time of 13.69 was the seventh fastest of the day, qualifying the senior for finals.
“Outside of a conference championship, it's a culmination of everything you've ever driven for,” he said. “Being my fifth year, this is more than anything I could have ever dreamed.“
Running on the outside in lane nine, as Viverette crossed the finish line he glanced to his left to see where the other runners were. He said he knew at that point he had a chance.
“I looked across (at the finish line) and I've never done that before and I realized I was ahead,” he said. “I then just had to wait for the results and when I saw my name in second a fire lit inside me.”
Also on Saturday, several other Bearkat men fell just short of joining Viverette in Oregon. Garrett Larson's jump of 17-feet-3/4 inch was just shy of his personal best. The jump placed him 21st with the top 12 advancing.
Justin Jenkins ran in the 200 meter quarterfinals, a day after just missing out on advancing in the 100. He finished 20th with a time of 21.34.
The 400-meter relay team was just two spots away from advancing, running a 40..03 to place them 14th. They missed qualifying by .18 seconds.
The NCAA Championship will be held at historic Heyward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon June 10-13.
Players Mentioned
