BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – For the second-straight year, a Sun Devil stood atop the podium at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships as Samantha Noennig was crowned a champion in thrilling fashion, Friday in Birmingham, Alabama.
Noennig found herself in the lead for most of Friday's competition, but a huge throw from fellow Pac-12 All-American Lena Giger of Stanford put the Sun Devil sophomore in second-place with only one throw remaining.
She didn't flinch and launched the shot a personal best 17.91m/58-9.25 feet to best Giger by two centimeters and win her first NCAA title.
"When it left I knew it was a good one, but I wasn't sure how far it would go," Noennig said. "I just knew I had to stay calm and it worked out well."
Althought the title is her first, the All-America honor is her second in her short but successful tenure as a Sun Devil. With Noennig's win, ASU becomes the first program since 2001 to have two different athletes win the shot put title in back-to-back seasons.
The Wisconsin native's super sophomore season included her first MPSF title and a dominant run in the shot put. Outside of the season-opener in Flagstaff where she took second, Noennig finished as the top-collegiate competitor in each of her outings indoors.
She'll head back outdoors after moving into the top-three in school history in the indoor shot put, looking to complete the NCAA shot put sweep just as her former teammate and collegiate record-holder Maggie Ewen did a year ago.
"Maggie is my training partner still and I've learned so much from her," Noennig said. "I really look up to her, too, so to be able to compete the way she does and be clutch the way she is, it feels great."
Just as the women's shot put competition was heating up, ASU senior William Paulson lined up for the second heat of the men's mile prelim.
In his indoor championship debut, Paulson won his heat and advanced to the mile final as the top-qualifier with a time of 4:06.57.
"I was honestly just playing it by ear, but I wanted to make sure I had room to get out when I needed to," Paulson said. "I'm feeling great and I'm ready for tomorrow."
The MPSF mile champion will look to add another title to his ASU resume tomorrow afternoon as he toes the line as one of the 10 best milers in the nation at 3:20 p.m. MST.
"I'm over the moon to finally make a final," Paulson said. "The coaching has been great, obviously the conditions out there are brilliant for training year-round and I think having a bit more time to put into the running has definitely helped."
Later Friday evening, Jessica Barreira ended her final indoor season with a second-team All-America honor in the women's long jump.
The Sun Devil senior and MPSF triple jump champion finished 10th in the competition, which was an improvement for her after entering the event at No. 14 on the descending order list.
Barreira's swan song indoors included two personal bests in the triple jump and long jump that moved her up the school record list for both.
With the completion of Friday's prelims and finals, the NCAA indoor season nears its end. Saturday will mark the final day of indoor competition, and teams will take their talents outside as the outdoor season gets underway.
NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships | March 8, 2019 | Birmingham, Alabama
Women's Results
Shot Put
1. Samantha Noennig – 17.91m/58-9.25
Long Jump
10. Jessica Barreira – 6.08m/19-11.25
Men's Results
Mile Prelim
1. William Paulson – 4:06.57Q
Noennig found herself in the lead for most of Friday's competition, but a huge throw from fellow Pac-12 All-American Lena Giger of Stanford put the Sun Devil sophomore in second-place with only one throw remaining.
She didn't flinch and launched the shot a personal best 17.91m/58-9.25 feet to best Giger by two centimeters and win her first NCAA title.
"When it left I knew it was a good one, but I wasn't sure how far it would go," Noennig said. "I just knew I had to stay calm and it worked out well."
Althought the title is her first, the All-America honor is her second in her short but successful tenure as a Sun Devil. With Noennig's win, ASU becomes the first program since 2001 to have two different athletes win the shot put title in back-to-back seasons.
The Wisconsin native's super sophomore season included her first MPSF title and a dominant run in the shot put. Outside of the season-opener in Flagstaff where she took second, Noennig finished as the top-collegiate competitor in each of her outings indoors.
She'll head back outdoors after moving into the top-three in school history in the indoor shot put, looking to complete the NCAA shot put sweep just as her former teammate and collegiate record-holder Maggie Ewen did a year ago.
"Maggie is my training partner still and I've learned so much from her," Noennig said. "I really look up to her, too, so to be able to compete the way she does and be clutch the way she is, it feels great."
Just as the women's shot put competition was heating up, ASU senior William Paulson lined up for the second heat of the men's mile prelim.
In his indoor championship debut, Paulson won his heat and advanced to the mile final as the top-qualifier with a time of 4:06.57.
"I was honestly just playing it by ear, but I wanted to make sure I had room to get out when I needed to," Paulson said. "I'm feeling great and I'm ready for tomorrow."
The MPSF mile champion will look to add another title to his ASU resume tomorrow afternoon as he toes the line as one of the 10 best milers in the nation at 3:20 p.m. MST.
"I'm over the moon to finally make a final," Paulson said. "The coaching has been great, obviously the conditions out there are brilliant for training year-round and I think having a bit more time to put into the running has definitely helped."
Later Friday evening, Jessica Barreira ended her final indoor season with a second-team All-America honor in the women's long jump.
The Sun Devil senior and MPSF triple jump champion finished 10th in the competition, which was an improvement for her after entering the event at No. 14 on the descending order list.
Barreira's swan song indoors included two personal bests in the triple jump and long jump that moved her up the school record list for both.
With the completion of Friday's prelims and finals, the NCAA indoor season nears its end. Saturday will mark the final day of indoor competition, and teams will take their talents outside as the outdoor season gets underway.
NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships | March 8, 2019 | Birmingham, Alabama
Women's Results
Shot Put
1. Samantha Noennig – 17.91m/58-9.25
Long Jump
10. Jessica Barreira – 6.08m/19-11.25
Men's Results
Mile Prelim
1. William Paulson – 4:06.57Q