Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
Day 2
Bosshard Earns First All-American Honor
June 10, 2010 | Track and Field
EUGENE, Ore. - University of Colorado freshman Joe Bosshard earned his first All-American honor as he finished sixth in the 10,000-meter run at the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship on Thursday.
Three other Buffs, Jeremy Dodson (200), Emma Coburn (steeplechase) and Shalaya Kipp (steeplechase), each advanced to the finals of their respective events as well.
Joe Bosshard ran one of the best races of his life in the 10,000-meter run, finishing in 28 minutes, 59.87 seconds. The time makes him the 10th fastest CU performer in the 10k, behind CU greats like Dathan Ritzenhein and Bret Schoolmeester.
Bosshard started off in the middle of the pack and gradually worked his way up to the front. With just over 1,000 meters left in the race, he had moved into fifth-place and was looking comfortable. Bosshard was in third with 800 meters left and was battling it out with Big 12 champion John Kosgei (Oklahoma State) and Stanford's Jake Riley. Wisconsin's Mohammed Ahmed and Iowa State's Kiel Uhl passed him around the last turn, but Bosshard finished strong and held on to sixth place and because CU's first track All-American for the 2010 season. He was the second highest placing freshman behind Riley.
"Joe has been a very pleasant surprise this spring," Colorado coach Mark Wetmore said. "He was sixth at the conference meet a few weeks ago and now is sixth at the NCAA. We knew he was getting fitter every week while some people were probably fading. He ran a brilliant and patient race. He did not respond when others picked up the pace which worked well. He came one strong in the last five or six laps and closed very well."
Dodson started out the day for the Buffs in the semifinals of the 200, clocking a time of 20.81 seconds. He drew a great lane (five) in the first section and got out to a solid start. As Dodson headed into the home stretch, he had a slight lead on the field and was able to hang on to win the heat. Tennessee's Evander Wells also recorded a time of 20.81 but crossed the finish just seven thousandth of a second after Dodson. (Dodson's official time was 20.802 and Wells was clocked at 20.809.)
"I'm very proud of Jeremy," assistant coach Drew Morano said. "He ran a smart race today to win his heat, but more importantly, to qualify for the finals. Jeremy will face some tough competition on Saturday, but he has been working hard to get to this point all year and I know that he has what it takes to take home the title."
Wetmore also thought that Dodson had a nice race.
"Jeremy looked excellent," he said. "It has been a blustery day here and during his race it was windy. He was smart to run the turn hard like he did since the wind was blowing hard. The lead he established in the first 100 meters helped him since everyone had the deal with the strong wind in the final 100."
Dodson's time was the fourth best recorded in the semis. Texas A&M's Curtis Mitchell ran the fastest time in the semis at 20.59 in the third heat. Kentucky's Rondel Sorrillo won the second heat (20.66). The finals in the 200 are at 11:49 a.m. on Saturday.
"I'm blessed to have made it this far," Dodson said. "God has given me strength to continue forward. The caliber of the field today was that of the national elite, but of course this is nationals. So for me to go out and come out on top is more than I can ask for. It shows the caliber of myself, something that has always been within me, but just waiting for injuries to be tamed.
"I feel well prepared going into finals so it's up to me to trust and live up to my true talent that God has given me."
The Buffs were also successful on the women's side as Coburn won the second section of the steeplechase with a time of 9:59.69. Kipp was second in 9:59.93. Kipp's time was a personal best and she became just the third Buff to ever run the steeplechase in less than 10 minutes. The times were the top two recorded on the night.
Coburn and Kipp started in the front of the pack right from the start, however neither took control of the race until the final 700 meters when Coburn moved to the front and didn't let go. Kipp was right on her heels, moving from fourth to second, and the duo was able to automatically advance to the finals on Saturday at 11:54 a.m.
Penn State's Bridget Franek won the first heat in 10:02.48. The top six finishers in each heat automatically advanced while two more were added on time.
"Emma and Shalaya ran the fastest two times of the day, but Bridget Franek has run just over 9:30 and will be good competition for them," Wetmore said. "Both Emma and Shalaya look very strong to make the podium on Saturday."
Kipp was one of three freshmen to qualify for the finals and had the best time out of the three.
The NCAA Championship, which is being held at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon, will continue through Saturday, June 12. The Buffs do not have any competitors for Friday's events, but Dodson, Coburn and Kipp will be joined by Richard Medina on Saturday. Medina will race in the finals of the 5,000-meter run at 12:21 p.m.
CBS College Sports TV will broadcast the championship live on Friday from 6-8 p.m. and CBS will show the final events on Saturday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Live streaming for Wednesday and Thursday will be available at NCAA.com and live results will be available at flashresults.com.
- colorado track & field -
2010 NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP
Hayward Field (Eugene, Ore.)
Men's 200-Meter Dash: (1. Curtis Mitchell, Texas A&M, 20.59) 4. Jeremy Dodson, 20.88
Men's 10,000-Meter Run: (1. Sam Chelanga, Liberty, 28:37.40) 6. Joe Bosshard, 28:59.87
Women's 3,000-Meter Steeplechase: 1. Emma Coburn, 9:59.69; 2. Shalaya Kipp, 9:59.93
Players Mentioned
