Two more Kats earn NCAA All-America
6/11/2015 10:44:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
EUGENE, Ore. – The second day of the NCAA National Track and Field Championships was a historic one for the Sam Houston State program as two more athletes earned All-American honors.
Ashley Jenkins advanced to the finals of the hammer throw and finished ninth while Danielle Demas finished 10th in the 100-meter hurdles. Both earned NCAA second-team All-America recognition.
Jenkins competed in the first flight of the hammer throw. The junior tossed 61.67 meters to finished second in her flight. She then had to wait and watch the remaining 12 competitors throw in the second flight to see if she would make the finals.
“I was glad I was able to make finals for my first time here,” Jenkins said. “I was hoping when I got to finals I would be able to have a big throw, but it just didn't work out for me.”
Jenkins entered the finals sitting in 8th, which would qualify here for first-team All-America. But on the final round of throws, she was passed dropping here to ninth.
“While I didn't finish like I would have wanted to, I am going to learn from this experience,” Jenkins said. “I know what I need to do to get here and shoot for the top three next time.”
For Demas, she entered Thursday's semifinal looking for a place in the finals. Running in the third heat, Demas finished third, running a 13.05, missing the finals by just .01 seconds.
“I can definitely say I ran my race today,” said Demas after running a time just .03 seconds off her personal best. “I didn't run as fast as I wanted, but I didn't fall or fall out of the race so I am proud of myself.”
The Bearkats finish the NCAA Championship with three All-Americans, including Matthew Viverette on Wednesday in the 110-meter hurdles. Demas and Jenkins become the fourth and fifth Bearkat women to earn All-American at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Demas is the first non-field event athlete to earn the recognition. Viverette becomes the 10th Bearkat male to earn All-America and the first since 2013.
“We are leaving with three different All-Americans and we are disappointed,” said head coach Dave Self. “That is a good problem to have. We are setting expectations for ourselves to not just compete regionally but also at the national level. We came here to win.”
This is also the first time the Kats have had three All-Americans in the same season.
“We are taking this program to the next level and it takes performances like this to get the name out there,” Self said. “It was a historic year for us, but I expect to only get better moving forward.”
