March 12, 2010
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arizona State University track and field team opened competition at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships inside the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark., on Friday afternoon with Ryan Whiting capturing his third-consecutive NCAA indoor shot put title and his third national title in a row after taking the past two indoor crowns as well as the outdoor title last year.
As a team, the Sun Devil men have scored 12 points and stand in fourth place overall while host Arkansas leads after the first day with 24 points. Florida (20) and Florida State (14) stand second and third, respectively. The ASU women did not score in the meet that has the women’s Top 4 of Auburn (18), Tennessee (16), Arizona (15.5) and Oregon (13) following the first day of action.
In the first men’s final of the championships, the Sun Devils collected all 12 of its points as Whiting won the shot put with a toss of 21.52m (70-07.25) and Jason Lewis was seventh overall with a toss of 18.64m (61-02.00), which scored two team points for ASU. Both men earned All-America honors with their finishes.
Whiting, who entered the meet as the two-time defending indoor champion and winner of the past two national titles (2009 indoor and 2009 outdoor), took the lead in the shot put on his first toss with a mark of 19.16m before improving on each of his final two throws of the preliminary round, advancing to the finals with a top mark of 20.57m. In the fourth round (his first throw of the finals), Whiting hit a mark of 21.52m, which sealed the victory and equaled his season-best toss that also ranks third in the world currently.
With his victory, Whiting became just the third man in NCAA history to win the shot put three years in a row at the indoor championships and is the first to accomplish that feat in 35 years as Hans Hogland (UTEP) won the men’s shot put in 1973, 1974 and 1975. Whiting also is just the fourth man to win three or more shot put titles indoors in a career and is the first to join that list since Michael Carter (SMU) won his fourth title in 1984.
Lewis hit a mark of 18.27m in the preliminary rounds and advanced to the finals as the ninth and final competitor where, like Whiting, he improved his top mark with a toss of 18.64m to move up to seventh place. Having not earned an All-America honor in his career prior to last year when he garnered the honors in the shot put and hammer at the indoor championships, Lewis collected the fifth honor of his career and his second in the indoor shot put.
A pair of individuals competed as well for the Sun Devil men as Donald Sanford competed in the 400m dash and Mason McHenry ran in the 800m event. Sanford clocked in with a time of 47.84, which placed him 15th overall in the event and eliminated him from advancing to the finals on Saturday, while McHenry ran 1:53.76 and finished 14th overall. McHenry came back later in the meet with Nectaly Barbosa, Joel Phillip and Brandon Bethke in the distance medley relay which saw the Sun Devils place 11th in 9:44.98.
The lone two women in the meet for ASU this season competed in the long jump with both rookies placing outside of the Top 10. Constance Ezugha led the way with a jump of 6.15m that placed her 14th while Christabel Nettey finished 17th with a leap of 6.04m
The final day of competition at the Championships will take place on Saturday. Lewis will compete in the weight throw, Bethke will run in the final of the 3,000m run and the men’s 4x400m relay of Sanford, Phillip, Justin Kremer and Ray Miller will also run.
2010 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
Day One • Randal Tyson Track Center • Fayetteville, Ark.
Men’s Shot Put - Final
1. Ryan Whiting - 21.52m (70-07.25) - 3x NCAA Indoor Champion and All-American
7. Jason Lewis - 18.64m (61-02.00) - All-American
Men’s 400m Dash - Preliminary Round
15. Donald Sanford - 47.84 - does not advance to final
Men’s 800m Run - Preliminary Round
14. Mason McHenry - 1:53.76 - does not advance to final
Women’s Long Jump - Final
14. Constance Ezugha - 6.15m
17. Christabel Nettey - 6.04m
Men’s Distance Medley Relay - Final
11. Arizona State - 9:44.98
Nectaly Barbosa, Joel Phillip, Mason McHenry, Brandon Bethke