Troy Reeder becomes First All-American in Furman track and field history
EUGENE, Ore. -- Furman junior Troy Reeder finished seventh in the 3,000m Steeplechase Friday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., becoming the first All-American in the history of the Paladin track and field program.
Reeder, who set the Furman record of 8:36.51 in the event during the NCAA semifinals on Wednesday, turned in a time of 8:42.26 in Friday's race. The top eight finishers in the race were honored as All-Americans.
"It is very exciting in our fourth year at Furman to have our first All-American in Troy Reeder," said Paladin head coach Robert Gary at the conclusion of the race. "Troy is only a sophomore as far as eligibility is concerned in track, so I know he is looking forward to the next two years. Having Troy in the Olympic Trials in a couple weeks will also be a tremendous accomplishment for our program and most specifically for Troy!"
Reeder led the Paladins with a second-place finish at the 2015 SoCon Cross Country Championships, helping Furman to its third-consecutive championship. He finished second in the 3,000m, third in the mile, and fourth in the 5,000m at the league indoor meet, then opened the outdoor season by setting a new Paladin record of 13:59.86 in the 5,000m at the Raleigh Relays. Reeder went on to win the title in the 1,500m and place second in the 5,000m at the SoCon Outdoor Championships.
Furman junior Allie Buchalski will compete in the finals of the 5,000m Saturday at 5:25 p.m. PT. She reached the finals after setting a new Paladin record with a time of 16:08.10 at the East Preliminaries. Buchalski, who ranked 19th among athletes in the East entering the event, bested her own previous school record of 16:11.71, to win her heat and notch the fastest qualifying time in the event.
The 2015 & 2016 SoCon Women's Cross Country Runner of the Year, Buchalski became the first All-American in the history of the Paladin cross country program after placing seventh at the NCAA Championships in November. Buchalski was chosen the SoCon Women's Indoor Track Most Outstanding Athlete after recording victories in the mile, 3,000m, and 5,000m then won the 5,000m title and finished second in the 1,500m at the SoCon Outdoor Championships. She holds the Paladin record of 10:13.10 in the 3,000m Steeplechase, an event in which she competed at last year's NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Guillorel places 12th; All-American Second Team
EUGENE, Ore. – The Samford University track and field team ended the season on a high note as sophomore Arsène Guillorel became the school's third USTFCCCA Second Team All-American after running the fastest race of his young career on Friday, June 10, at Hayward Stadium.
Guillorel finished 12th overall with a time of 13:53.85 and ran with an average pace around 1:07 for every 400 meters ran. The time was the best of his career and also a Samford school record for the event.
"So happy for Arsène," Head Coach Rod Tiffin said. "It's always great to run a personal best and break the school record in the biggest race of your life so far.
"He had a race plan with coach (Kevin) Ondrasek and let it play out to perfection."
This was the Pontchateau, France native's first appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships but not his first at an NCAA Championship as he participated at this past season's NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Two other Bulldogs accompanied Guillorel as All-American recipients as Tray Oates earned All-American First Team in the pole vault while Karisa Nelson was award All-American Honorable Mention in the women's 1,500 meters.
"I couldn't have been more-happy with this group of sophomores," Tiffin explained. "It's by far our best team showing at the national championships and the men finishing 76th in the country is great.
"The best part is I think we are just getting started. I am excited to see where we will be in the next few years."
Prior to this week the Bulldogs had only one All-American Second Team honoree and an All-American Top 8 finisher. Oates and Guillorel doubled that total as Oates became the first Samford male to earn All-American First Team and Guillorel became the second All-American Second Team competitior.