May 27, 2010
Live Results | Live Video - Friday | Championships Central
AUSTIN, Texas -- Mohammed Ahmed's outstanding freshman season continued Thursday, as the freshman earned a spot in the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships with a fourth-place finish in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA preliminary round in Austin, Texas.
Racing in his first NCAA event, Ahmed clocked a time of 29:38.85 to take fourth for the Wisconsin men's track and field team and earn one of the 12 spots that advanced to June’s national final in Eugene, Ore.
The performance came on the heels of Ahmed's Big Ten championship in the 10,000 meters two weeks ago, a win that came in his outdoor debut for the Badgers. His second-ever outdoor race went nearly as well.
Oklahoma State's John Kosgei claimed the win in 29:36.55, with Ahmed just two seconds back.
Redshirt freshman Elliot Krause came agonizingly close to earning a ticket to Eugene, as well. He ran a time of 29:50.26 but fell two spots short of a qualifying spot in 14th.
Junior Landon Peacock was just behind in 18th place with his time of 30:03.77.
While the NCAA championships field was decided in the 10,000 meters, Thursday largely was comprised of first-round races on the track.
Things went about as well as they could have for the Badgers in the 1,500 meters, with seniors Craig Miller and Jack Bolas and redshirt freshman Rob Finnerty each advancing through to the quarterfinals with strong runs in their first-round races.
Miller clocked in second-fastest overall in the 48-runner field, clocking a 3:42.82 that trailed only the 3:42.76 laid down by Oregon junior A.J. Acosta. Miller now looks to finish among the top 12 in Saturday's quarterfinal to earn a spot at the NCAA outdoor championships in June -- where he can chase an eighth career All-America honor.
Bolas moved through to the quarterfinals with a time of 3:44.00, while Finnerty -- a first-time NCAA qualifier -- wasn't far back in 3:44.10.
Senior James Groce also advanced to the quarterfinals of the 400 meters, while junior Luke Rucks moved through to the quarters of the 800 meters.
Both were forced to anxiously watch the scoreboard after their races, as neither was an automatic qualifier based on finishing position. Both earned the right to advance based on time.
Groce clocked in at 46.87 -- his second-best effort of the season -- to advance in the 400 meters. Sophomore teammate Kyle Jefferson's time of 47.10 did not hold up, however.
Groce was among the 20 athletes in the 48-man field that cracked the 47-second barrier, with the top four finishers each clocking in under 46 seconds. Texas A&M junior Demetrius Pinder was fastest overall at 45.39.
In the 800 meters, Rucks used a personal-best time of 1:49.07 to race his way into the quarterfinals. The performance dropped two tenths of a second off Rucks' month-old best of 1:49.27 and ranked him 12th-fastest in the field.
It also placed the first-time NCAA qualifier a step away from a trip to June's NCAA outdoor championships in Eugene. The top 12 finishers in Friday's quarterfinals will advance.
Rucks' teammate, junior Zach Beth, did not fare as well and missed out on a quarterfinals berth by finishing 28th overall in 1:50.00.
In the field events, junior Robert Dehn saw his season come to an end in the javelin, with his throw of 208 feet, 6 inches stacking up 18th among the 48 competitors. The top 12 finishers advanced to the NCAA championships.
Freshman Casey Dehn finished 21st in the shot put, throwing 55-2 3/4, with junior teammate Jake Fritz taking 38th with his mark of 52-8.
Junior Rayme Mackinson did not post a legal mark in the long jump.
The NCAA preliminary round continues Friday with a full slate of events for the Badgers, beginning with the first round of the 110-meter hurdles at 4:30 p.m.
