University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
NCAA Midwest Regional Championships
NCAA Regional: Jansen Claims Shot Put Title
5/31/2008 8:00:00 AM | Track and Field
May 31, 2008
Jansen's title capped a day that saw the Panthers set four school records in addition to the qualifiers they added for the upcoming national meet and saw the UNI men earn a 10th-place finish in the team standings with a score of 30.5 points.
The UNI women scored their highest-ever regional finish with a 14th-place showing after posting a score of 19 points.
With Saturday's performances, UNI now has eight athletes qualified in a total of 10 events for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, which begin June 11 at Drake Stadium in
Sophomore Dorian Ulrey and senior Tyler Mulder also punched a ticket to
"I couldn't be more pleased with how we competed today in what I believe is the toughest region in the country," UNI head coach Chris Bucknam said. "We toed the line and performed unbelievably well. I can't say enough about how our kids perform and how they step up to the plate when it counts."
Jansen put herself in the finals of the shot put but proceeded to foul on each of her first two attempts in the final. The three-time All-American came up big her last throw, however, posting a school-record mark of 56 feet, 10 inches to easily outdistance runner-up Patience Knight of Texas Tech.
Jansen, now a nine-time NCAA championships qualifier, also will compete in the hammer throw and discus at the NCAA Outdoor Championships after punching her ticket in each of those events Friday.
"It feels amazing. I finished on my best throw of the day, and that's the way it should be," Jansen said. "It's just starting to sink in that I'm going to nationals in all three events. After yesterday I was excited, but you don't want to get ahead of yourself and I knew I still had to focus and get after it today."
Ulrey is headed back to the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the second-consecutive year after an outstanding performance in the men's 1,500 meters. Ulrey clocked a time of 3:41.59 to score a runner-up finish in the race behind
Ulrey's time lowered his own school and Missouri Valley Conference records in the 1,500 by .18 seconds and was just off the winning pace of 3:40.35 set by Manzano, who also is the world leader in the mile.
"It was a great race strategically," Ulrey said. "I had to make a couple of moves to stay out of traffic, but other that that, it was a pretty good tactical race."
At the front from the start, Ulrey was running fifth at the 800-meter mark and was in fourth when the leaders hit the bell lap. He charged into second as the pack hit the back straightaway for the final time and ran neck-and-neck with Manzano until the Longhorn pulled away over the final 50 meters.
"This is just one more stepping stone," said Ulrey, who was fourth at last year's regional meet. "I bump up two spots from last year and I'm a second back of the No. 1 guy in the world, so it's definitely a confidence boost."
Junior Tyler Mulder also laid down a school-record effort and settled for a runner-up finish, taking second in an extremely fast 800 meters final. Mulder, the defending NCAA indoor 800 meters champion, cut 1.11 seconds off the previous UNI standard with his run of 1:46.99 and qualified for the national meet in the process.
Mulder's time is the fifth-fastest in the NCAA this season (with four of the top-five times set in regional competitions Saturday) and ranks as the No. 8 time by an American this year. It also improves his "B" standard qualifying mark for the upcoming U.S. Olympic Trials.
"I knew I had it in me, and it was just a matter of getting out with other people who will set the pace instead of me setting the pace," Mulder said. "It's time to run fast now and I'm just looking forward to nationals and making the finals, that's my one goal."
Senior Terrance Reid also will make a return trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships after claiming a fourth-place finish with an outstanding effort in the men's 400 meters.
Running out of lane eight, Reid started at the top of the stagger and held the lead through the first 300 meters. He slipped back to seventh as the field made its way down the homestretch but used a strong finish to hit the line nearly simultaneously with
"It was tough because I didn't know how to gauge the race, so I just decided to go out and hold on, but I had to run my own race," said Reid. "I wanted to get out hard and make them come catch me for a race at the end."
Reid clocked in at a personal-best 45.98 to take fourth and earn his second straight automatic bid to the NCAA meet in the event. Hulett was fifth in 46.03, with Boyd sixth in 46.06. Baylor's LeJerald Betters won the regional title in 45.04.
The Panther's men's 4x400 relay team will have to wait on the NCAA's release of at-large selections to see whether or not they also will have a spot in the national meet. The quartet of Cory Goos, Reid, Mulder and Ryan Grenko claimed a fifth-place finish in 3:05.26.
That clocking, which cut three seconds of the Panthers' previous season-best, is the third-fastest in school history and places UNI eighth on the NCAA descending order list that is used to determine at-large selections.
Seniors Dani Stipe, the trio clocked in at 3:39.62 to earn an eighth-place finish in the event.
Senior Crystal Hanson also concluded her career as a Panther by tying for 14th place in the women's high jump. Hanson, a four-time MVC champion in the event, cleared the opening height of 5 feet, 7 1/4 inches but was unable to make a clearance at 5-9 1/4.
Also in the field events, junior Lucas Cook earned a 19th-place finish for the Panthers in the men's hammer throw with a best effort of 176 feet, 4 inches, while freshman Phil Hanson was 12th in the pole vault with a clearance of 16-7 1/4.
Players Mentioned
