June 13, 2009
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.: June 12, 2009 - Senior Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.) added her eighth All-America certificate to her lengthy resume, finishing fifth in the heptathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Friday at John McDonnell Field. Hunter also bettered her own school record in the event for the second time this season, posting a total score of 5797 points. Another pair of Nittany Lions would claim All-America honors, including Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.) in the 400-meter hurdles.
Senior Clarence Smith (Coatesville, Pa.) came through in the clutch in the triple jump preliminaries, posting a leap of 52-06 (16.00) on his final attempt to earn a spot in Saturday's final. The senior's jump was the eighth-best of the day. Smith was an All-American in the event in 2008.
Hunter kicked off the final day of the heptathlon with a leap of 20-06.50 (6.26) in the long jump, which was the third-best effort of the day and good for 930 points. The senior followed up with a toss of 116-09 (35.60) - worth 583 points and one of the top 15 marks on the afternoon. Hunter then closed the seven-event contest with the 800-meters, finishing in 2:15.94. Hunter's run was good for 880 points, and sent her from seventh to fifth in the final overall standings.
Franek captured her sixth-career All-America finish, and her second-straight top four finish in the steeplechase. Holding her on in an outstanding field, Franek finished in 9:48.57 - the second-fastest effort of her career. The top four finishers distanced themselves from the crowd early and continued the stretch the gap, as Franek's finishing time was over 12 seconds ahead of the fifth-place athlete. Colorado's Jenny Barringer won the event, clocking a collegiate record 9:25.54.
Dorr would claim the first individual All-America certificate of her career and third overall thanks to a sixth-place finish in the quarter hurdles. The junior sprinted down the homestretch, overtaking several of her competitors, to stop the clock at 57.43.
Sophomore Karlee McQuillen (Johnstown, Pa.), who was making her second-straight appearance in the women's javelin final, placed 10th overall with a toss of 163-03 (49.77). McQuillen's effort also warrants All-America honors.
Also competing on Friday was junior Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.), who came up just shy of a spot in tomorrow's 100-meter hurdle finish. Barber finished in 13.35, which was good for 11th overall was just two one hundreths of a second off qualifying.
The Lions have three events remaining on Saturday, with Smith in the triple jump, Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia) in the 800-meters, and the women's 4x400-meter relay. Catch all the action live on CBS from 12-2 p.m. CDT.