Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
Day 1
Neuman Earns All-American Status
March 13, 2009 | Track and Field
COLLEGE STATION, Texas ? University of Colorado senior Kenyon Neuman earned All-American status in the 5,000-meter run on the first day of the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship at the Gilliam Track & Field Stadium on Friday night.
Neuman placed 12th overall with a mark of 14 minutes, 11.08 seconds. In the beginning of the race, he was unable to keep pace with the lead pack and had fallen to the back of the pack after the first 800-meters. Neuman was able to keep going and earned his first indoor All-American status (eight of the 11 who finished ahead of him were foreign-born athletes).
Neuman entered the 5k ranked sixth on the list. He had run a mark of 13:41.66 at the Husky Classic on Feb. 14 and became the third fastest Buff in the process; only behind Adam Goucher and Brent Vaughn.
“Following the 13:41, he and I together did not allow him to rest enough and he was not recovered, obviously, by the Big 12 meet,” head coach Mark Wetmore said. “So then we had to move into emergency mode and he has really done very little in the past two weeks. Compared to the Big 12, this was a success; but compared to the 13:41 it isn't. I'm happy that he kept his faith. I'm happy that he was willing to rest and make the adjustments necessary. I'm happy that he responded the way he did to the race as patiently as he did. This isn't what he and I were hoping for four weeks ago, but it is still a success compared to Big 12s.”
Senior Jeremy Dodson was 12th in the prelims of the 200-meter dash and failed to qualify for the finals in a very fast preliminary field. Dodson ran 21.14 and was fourth in his section. Trey Harts (Baylor) won the prelims with a mark of 20.73 and Michael DeHaven was the eighth-place finisher and was the last to get into the finals with a time of 20.99.
"We knew going in that we had to run 20-point to make finals,” assistant coach Brandon Couts said. “The 200-meter dash was very competitive this year. It took 20.94 to qualify for the NCAA's. He gave it his best shot, unfortunately it wasn't enough to make finals. We were hoping for another school record today."
Dodson ran out of lane three in the second heat, which is not a desirable position to be in.
“Sprinters are universally finicky about lane assignments and some of those heats had four and some had three, which meant that some people had to run out of lane three and others didn't,” Wetmore explained. “The heats are drawn in a serpentined fashion and the lanes are drawn at random, I believe, and Jeremy just got the worst lane you can get as a sprinter; the most inside lane. So I think it's a combination of not a great night and not a great lane. It's a disappointment because we thought he could be quite a bit higher than this.”
Dodson finished his indoor collegiate career owning nine of the top 10 marks in the 200 as well as the school record.
"Jeremy has been a great athlete for us,” Couts said. “He's the first to break 21 seconds indoors and set the school record. He will truly be missed as a fierce competitor and team leader for the sprint group. He has raised the bar for future Buffs to come."
Colorado will have one more participant in the championship tomorrow. Jenny Barringer will race in the 3,000-meter run finals at 6:40 p.m. (CST). She owns the top time in the field at 8:53.88.
The championship will be streamed live again tomorrow at ESPN360.com. To access ESPN360 visit www.ESPN360.com. Click on the FAQs link for software and system requirements, etc. Anyone with an .edu e-mail address is able to obtain access to ESPN360 for free. ESPN2 will air a 90-minute show on Monday, March 23 at 12:30 p.m. (MST).
2009 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship
Gilliam Track & Field Stadium at the McFerrin Athletic Center (College Station, Texas)
Friday, March 13 (CU Athletes Only)
Men's 200-meter dash prelims: 12. Jeremy Dodson, 21.14
Men's 5,000-meter run finals: 12. Kenyon Neuman, 14:11.08
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Players Mentioned
