Jones Takes 18th at NCAA ChampionshipsEUGENE, Ore. - Samford sophomore Adam Jones wrapped up his exciting 2014 postseason with a trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships to compete in the men's 1,500 meters on Thursday, June 12, at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon.
This was Jones' first time to ever make the trip out to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and in front of thousands of people, he gave it his all as he posted a time of 3:47.40 to finish ninth in his heat and 18th overall to earn All-America honorable mention honors.
Jones started out the race in the middle of the 12-man pack and hugged the inside edge of the track for a majority of the contest.
The Columbus, Ga., native recorded a time of 46.44 in the first 300 meters of the event and continued to hang in the middle of the pack through the 700-meter mark with a time of 1:51.98.
After 1,100 meters, the pace quickened in the field and the final surge was on. Jones made his push with the rest of the group but fell just shy of the last automatic qualifying spot; Sam Penzenstadler of Loyola finished in fifth place to earn a place in the finals with a time of 3:46.34.
Hurt Places 20th at NCAA ChampionshipsEUGENE, Ore. -- Furman junior Tripp Hurt placed 20th with a time of 8:57.27 in the 3,000m steeplechase national semifinals Thursday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Hurt, who qualified for the regional meet after recording the previous Furman record of 8:58.13 to take first place at the SoCon Outdoor Championships, placed sixth with a time of 8:44.28 at the NCAA East Regional last week in Jacksonville, Fla., shattering the school record and finishing second in his heat to qualify automatically for Thursday’s semifinal race after claiming one of the top three spots in the heat.
A native of Bogart, Ga., Hurt, who earned All-SoCon honors for cross country, indoor, and outdoor track, was honored as the Furman MVP for 2013-14. He won the 3,000m at the 2014 SoCon Indoor Championships with a time of 8:18.06, breaking the old record of 8:20.40, and also claimed the league title in the 5,000m at the meet, becoming the first Furman men’s track and field athlete to win two events at the league indoor meet since 1973. For his efforts, he was also named the SoCon Student-Athlete of the Week following the indoor championship meet.
Hurt earned All-SoCon first-team accolades after leading Furman with a fourth-place finish at the SoCon cross country championships, helping the Paladins to their first SoCon cross country championship since 1976. He was named to the Academic All-Conference team for cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track.