June 11, 2011

Final NCAA Championship Results

DES MOINES, Iowa – The University of Arizona track and field teams wrapped up the 2011 outdoor campaign with a pair of top-10 finishes Saturday at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.

The Arizona women posted their third-best NCAA finish in school history in taking fifth place with a total of 35 points while the Arizona men matched their fourth-best finish ever with a seventh-place finish and 28 points. It was the highest overall finish for the two teams in one season in school history and only the second time that the both teams had finished within the top 10 in the same year.

Sophomore Julie Labonte completed her perfect season in the shot put by winning her second national title of the year, breaking her own Canadian record with a throw of 18.31m (60-1). The mark was the eighth-best outdoor throw in NCAA history and currently ranks her 20^th in the world.

In winning, Labonte went a perfect 12-0 in shot put competitions against collegiate competitors in 2011 as she won every single competition starting with her first meet of the indoor season. It was the third All-America honor for the native of Sainte-Justine, Quebec, as well. It was Arizona's first victory in the women's shot put outdoors since Carla Garrett in 1989.

Freshman Baillie Gibson took 14^th overall in the event with a throw of 16.09m (52-9 ½) to earn second-team All-America accolades while sophomore Alyssa Hasslen had an off day in 23^rd place but still earned an All-America honorable mention.

The impressive final day of performances didn't stop with Labonte. Junior Abdi Hassan finally looked to have reached his potential in the 1,500-meter run as he used his immense footspeed to move from the back of the pack to third over the final quarter-mile to finish in 3:43.95 and earn the first outdoor All-America honor of his career.

It was a relieving finish for Hassan, who was tripped in the preliminary round and did not finish but was advanced to the final after a coach's protest. Hassan became the first All-American in the event since Bob Keino accomplished the feat in 1997 and had the highest finish an Arizona student-athlete has ever achieved in the event in the event in school history.

Career performances were the name of the game Saturday as LaTisha Holden ran the best race of her life in the very next event on the track in the 100-meter hurdles. Holden ran a slightly wind-aided time of 12.89 to finish fourth overall and take her first outdoor All-America prize in her final race as a Wildcat. Holden became the first UA student-athlete to ever score a point in the event as well as the first All-American in school history in the high hurdles.

Freshman Lawi Lalang finished up his exceptional first year as the final UA runner in the competition. Lalang led the majority of the race in the 5,000-meter run, falling to second behind a mad last lap dash by Liberty's Sam Chelanga. Even so, Lalang clocked a time of 13:31.69 and became a first-time outdoor All-American in the process and the first freshman All-American in a running event since Robert Cheseret did it in the same event in 2003.

In total, Arizona had a combined 10 first-team All-Americans (individuals who scored at least a point) over the course of the four-day competition between the men's and women's teams, the most ever in one season in school history.

It was the best team finish for the women since the squad took third at the 2001 championships and the best finish for the men since a fourth-place finish in 2006.

Several student-athletes will likely now set their sights on the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, set to take place June 23-26, in Eugene, Ore. A complete preview of those attending will be released in the week leading up to the event. A complete season recap will also be available some time within the next week.