FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. —The University of Wyoming track and field team had two senior Cowboys competing in the first day of the NCAA Championships, with Jake Shanklin moving on in the hammer throw, while Mark Korir competed in the 3,000 meter steeplechase.
Shanklin’s throw of 210-feet, 9 inches, was good enough for 10th place, which will qualify him for the finals on Friday. It was his second throw of the day that catapulted him into the top 12 for a shot at the national championship.
“This round is almost more stressful than the finals,” said assistant coach Paul Barrett. “The pack is really tight and Jake had some bug throws in warm-ups, so it shows that he can unload a bomb on Friday.”
Korir ran his last race for the University of Wyoming track and field team after a lightning delay postponed the race more than two hours.
Korir, one of the greatest distance runners in school history finished with a time of 8 minutes, 49.60 seconds in the 3,000-meter steeplechase ,which is his personal best and good for fourth-best all-time in Wyoming history. He ran in the first of two heats and finished 10th in his heat and 16th overall. The top 14 qualified for the finals that will be run on Friday, Korir was only .82 seconds behind the last qualifier heading into the finals.
“Not the best way to cap off his career, but I can’t say enough about this kid and the career he has had here at Wyoming,” said assistant coach Randy Cole. “He gave it everything he had and I am proud to have had the opportunity to have coached him the three years he was here.”
Shanklin will compete on Friday at 11 a.m. (MT). Results can be found at http://www.ncaa.com/.
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