May 28, 2010

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AUSTIN, Texas – At the 2010 Big Ten Outdoor Championships, Luke Rucks narrowly missed qualifying for the finals of the 800 meters.

What a difference two weeks can make.

The Wisconsin junior was on the other side of the line Friday, as he ran a time of 1:49.84 at the NCAA preliminary round in Austin, Texas, to punch his ticket to the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

In a race where the top three athletes from each heat and the next three fastest times would advance, Rucks navigated his way through a field of 24 athletes to continue his season past this weekend.

Rucks survived and advanced despite the fact that his section of the quarterfinals went out slowest of the three heats. Oregon’s Elijah Greer won the heat in 1:49.51, with UC Santa Barbara’s Ryan Martin second in 1:49.66 and Rucks just back in third.

The first heat was the only section in which the top three finishers failed to crack the 1:48 mark. Still, as the third-place finishers, he grabbed the ninth and final automatic qualifying spot. The next three fastest finishers filled out the field of 12 that advanced to Eugene, Ore., for the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships, June 9-12.

The performance marks the first time in Rucks’ career that he will compete at an NCAA championship meet.

Senior Nate Larkin advanced to the semifinals of the 110-meter hurdles by clocking a time of 14.12. Larkin’s effort was good enough for 20th place in a field in which 24 competitors move on to the next round.

Also in the first round of the event, sophomore Adum Gross finished 32nd after notching a time of 14.57.

Freshman Gavin Robertson finished 31st in the 200 meters in a time of 21.44, seven spots shy of advancing to the quarterfinals in the event.

In the semifinals of the 400 meters, senior James Groce crossed the line in 46.71 and finishing 15th, narrowly missing being one of the top 12 runners to advance to the national meet.

The 3.000-meter steeplechase saw freshman Drew Shields miss advancing to the national meet after he finished 28th in the 48-man field with a time of 9:06.91.

Sophomore Phil Thomas and senior Ryan Gasper also competed in the event. Thomas finished 31st after clocking a time of 9:08.21, while Gasper was 35th in 9:10.87.

In the high jump, freshman Collin Taylor saw his season come to an end as he failed to register a mark in the event.

On the women’s side, junior Egle Staisiunaite clocked a time of 59.03 to finish 17th in the 400-meter hurdles, as she ended up just shy of attaining one of the top 12 spots needed to advance to the national meet.

In the discus, freshman Taylor Smith recorded a personal-best throw of 161-9 to rank No. 15 in the field of 48 competitors.

Smith’s throw narrowly missed making her one of the top 12 throwers in the field, which would have earned her a trip to Eugene.

The NCAA preliminary round continues on Saturday with a number of other Badgers competing for the opportunity to advance to the NCAA outdoor championships.