EUGENE, Ore. -- The Arizona State men took the stage yet again on Friday at Historic Hayward Field, and first-time participant Tim White highlighted day three with a fourth-place finish in the men's triple jump.
The redshirt junior and Sun Devil wide receiver leapt to a new personal best at 16.57m (54-4.50), which is just 3.5 inches short of the U.S. qualifying standard for the Olympics. However, the top-24 jumps in the country will advance to the Olympic Trials in July and White's mark is currently the 12th-best in the U.S.
"What Tim has accomplished this outdoor season is nothing short of amazing," said Director of Sun Devil Track and Field Greg Kraft. "He was in spring football for basically the entire outdoor season. He was only able to get three full-run triple jumps in at the Pac-12 Championships, where he finished second. Tim then gets two weeks of practice in before winning the West Regional. Then he gets another two weeks of practice before finishing fourth in the country.
"If you look at Tim's marks, he got better with each round. Unfortunately, the winds turned on Tim and his last two jumps were into significant head winds. The second place jump was wind aided with a +3.6 in round four. Tim's sixth round jump was into a -2.7. I think his sixth round effort was a big time jump."
Tim White one-ups himself again with new PR at 16.57m (54-4.50), 3.5" from US qualifying standard & .75" out of 3rd! pic.twitter.com/mr3IpWzkD6
— SunDevilTFXC (@SunDevilTFXC) June 11, 2016
As Kraft eluded to, White was arguably one of the most consistent jumpers, hitting 16.30, 16.33, 16.55 and 16.57 twice in his six attempts -- all of which were better than the 5th-place mark. He was less than an inch from 3rd place.
He becomes the first First-Team All-American triple jumper for the Sun Devils since Chris Benard in 2012, who may compete for the USA at the 2016 Rio Olympics in the event.
Also in the men's triple jump, senior Josh Dixon only got one qualifying mark in on his first three attempts, but was unfortunately not good enough to advance him to the final round. His mark of 15.45m (50-8.25) placed 17th and one spot from back-to-back Second-Team All-American honors in the outdoor triple jump.
In the men's 4x100 relay final, senior Ben Trotter filled in on the lead leg again for redshirt senior Jamol James after doing so at the Pac-12 Championships which the Devils won.
Trotter, senior Isaiah Underwood, freshman Brandon Hasson and graduate transfer Reggie Lewis ran a 39.90 for eighth place, earning them First-Team All-American honors. James also earned First-Team All-American for helping qualify the men for the NCAA Championship final.
It becomes the first 4x100 relay team for the ASU program to earn First-Team honors since Daveon Collins, Will Henry, Devan Spann and Ryan Milus in 2014.
The Sun Devil men finished in a tie for 36th overall with six points in the final standings. Redshirt sophomore Maggie Ewen and junior Keyasia Tibbs compete on the final day of the NCAA Championships on Saturday, with Ewen participating in her third event of the week in the discus throw and Tibbs jumping in the triple jump. Watch Ewen here at 3:05 p.m. (PT) and Tibbs here at 3:30 p.m. (PT) on ESPN3 for free NCAA Track & Field Championships Historic Hayward Field Eugene, Ore. June 8-11, 2016Friday Track Events
8. Arizona State (Trotter, Underwood, Hasson, Lewis) - 39.90
Friday Field Events
4. Tim White - 16.57m (54-4.50)
17. Josh Dixon - 15.45m (50-8.25)
Thursday Field Events
Women's Hammer Throw
5. Maggie Ewen - 63.61m (208-08)
Women's Shot Put
19. 16.05m (52-08.00)
Wednesday Track Events
Men's 4x100 Relay Semifinal
8. Arizona State (James, Underwood, Hasson, Lewis) - 39.26 Q
Men's 3,000m Steeplechase
21. CJ Albertson - 8:53.16
Men's 200m Dash
20. Reggie Lewis - 21.06
Wednesday Field Events
Men's Javelin Throw
14. Hudson Keffer - 70.23m (230-05)
Men's Shot Put
18. Ahmed Hassan - 18.64m (61-02.00)