Women's Results | Men's Results
PUEBLO, Colo. – Angelo State track & field added two more All-American honors as Jaylen Rodgers was second place in the women's 800-meters and Jacob McDonald placed sixth in the men's javelin at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Pueblo, Colo.
Rodgers turned in an incredible performance in the 800m to earn her first All-American honor. The Hamlin native was in second place at the break and set the pace for the group behind Chanelle Price of Grand Valley State. The position stayed the same until the runners came off the last turn and Price dropped off. Rodgers continued pushing to the lead along with Minnesota-Duluth's Lexi Williams. The pair battled back and forth until Williams edged Rodgers at the line.
“What a way to start your career,” head coach James Reid said. “She definitely set the bar high for herself moving forward. She is a fierce competitor and a lot of that has to do with her work ethic. She does what we ask of her and she does it to the best of her ability. We are extremely excited to see what she does over the next three years.”
Her time of 2:11.60 is the fifth-fastest time in Angelo State history and Rodgers become the second All-American in the 800m. She is the first freshman All-American since Adree Lakey in 2006.
McDonald had a busy morning with the men's pole vault and javelin starting within 30 minutes of each other. The two-time All-American dashed over after the pole vault and used his first throw to set the tone. McDonald threw 215'-8” (65.73m) to finish in sixth place overall. It is his best finish at the national meet and his third All-American honor of his career.
“It was a great way to end his career,” Reid said. “He competed like a champion. The vault was tough and he cleared more bars than last year. To run over to javelin and to hit a big mark to secure a spot on the stand was huge. I know he wanted to place higher but he threw 12 to 15 feet further than last year. I thought he had a great senior year all the way around. To be able to win two conference titles and to improve the way he has over the last two weeks has been fun to watch.”
In his first event of the day, McDonald cleared 15'-11” (4.85m) on his third attempt of the pole vault. It placed him 12th overall.
Out of the 18 student-athletes taken to the national meet a total of six had previous experience at the national meet. The group loses seniors Kelsey Coffman, Jacob McDonald, Cathryn Rittenberry and Jayda Spencer.
Isidro Garcia ran the 400-meters in a time of 47.98 to finish in ninth place. Garcia placed just one spot off of the award stand.
Kimberly Williams' best throw in the javelin was 138'-1” (42.09m). The junior placed 11th overall in her second NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships.
The duo of Austin Slone and Patrick Hunter didn't finish the triple jump like they both had hoped. In very windy conditions, Slone hit a mark of 49'-1” (14.96m) while Hunter recorded a 46'-4.75” (14.14m). Neither of the two was able to advance to the final as Slone placed 11th and Hunter was 16th.
The men's 4x400-meter relay of Garcia, Dallas Gray, Robbie Thayer and Jeffrey Jones had a gutsy performance in the final race of the evening. The squad finished in ninth place in a time of 3:16.68 after an injury hampered Garcia.
The Rambelles tied for 23rd place with 10 points while the Rams finished tied for 41st with three points.
NCAA Division II Champs Final Day Gallery
