Ronnie Baker Double All-American, Smith 1st Team, Eason 2nd Team All-American at NCAA's

Former Fulton County Star Sharika Smith finished as an All-American in the Triple Jump at the NCAA National Championship with a PR of 44-01.  This was a new school record for Western Kentucky University.  See Western Kentucky University Press Release below:

WKU senior jumper Sharika Smith nabbed first-team All-American honors at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Friday night with a 7th-place finish and school record triple jump of 44-feet-1 ¼ inches.

Smith, competing in a WKU uniform for the final time in her career, notched the record on her third jump of the evening. The leap was seven inches further than her previous school record, which set earlier this season at the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Smith’s 7th-place finish makes her the first All-American triple jumper in program history.  

“I am extremely proud of Sharika Smith,” said head coach Erik Jenkins. She has worked hard to be in this position. She beat some of the best elite athletes at the Division I level today. She’s earned this.”

The All-American honor is the second of Smith’s career as she earned second-team All-American distinction in the long jump at the 2011 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. She is the second WKU athlete to earn All-American honors at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championships, joining David Mokone, who captured second-team All-American honors in the 800-meter run on Wednesday.

Smith ends her WKU career as a two-time All-American, two-time Sun Belt Conference Champion and 10-time all-league honoree. She leaves the Hill with a program record in the triple jump and the second longest long jump in program history at 20-feet-10 inches. 

Former Ballard Sprinter Ronnie Baker was part of two 7th place Relay finishes this weekend.  The finish in the 4x1 and 4x4 earn him double All-American Honors.  See TCU Press Release Below:

The quartet of Harvey McSwain, Jackson, Ronnie Baker and Raymond Bozmans finished seventh in 39.87. The trio of Baker, Bozmans and McSwain were all freshmen this year and will continue to be staples of the relay for years to come.

"The three freshmen can leave with their heads held high," Anderson stated. "All three performed well, and leave this meet as first-team All-Americans."

To close out the meet, the men's 4x400 relay team had a final chance to add to TCU's collection of team points. The quartet of Joshua Washington, Jackson, Lavon Collins and Baker gave a strong showing, but ended up in seventh in 3:05.37. All four will be back for the Horned Frogs next season.

"The lane assignment (lane eight) didn't impact us," Anderson said. "Josh had his best carry of the year. We didn't get our best runs from our middle two legs. The effort was there, but sometimes you try too hard when all you need to do is relax and run your race. Ronnie ran great again. All four are back next year, and we are only going to get better."

Former Sayre Runner Ann Eason finished 9th overall in the 5000m Run with a new PR of 16:06.11.  EKU release below:

Eason finished one spot out of the top-eight, earning second team All-American honors with a personal-best time of 16:06.11. That time, which is the second-fastest in school history, edged her previous personal best of 16:06.98, which she ran at the Stanford Invitational on March 29. Eason, a native of Lexington, Ky., was one of only two sophomores to finish in the top-nine of the event.

Dartmouth’s Abbey D’Agostino won the race in 15:43.68.

 

Former St. Xavier runner Matt Hillenbrand was 14th in the 1500m Run in the prelims.  See University of Kentucky release below:

Matt Hillenbrand finished his 1,500m semifinal with a 14th place time of 3:44.48 just .18 seconds of his collegiate best performance. Hillenbrand did not advance to the final, meaning he concluded a junior season in which he won the SEC mile championship, was runner up in the conference 1,500m and advanced to the NCAA Championship for the first time in his career.

Former Owensboro star Marcus Winstead was part of the 4x400m Relay team for Western Kentucky that finished 17th overall with a 3:07.68. 

Former Owensboro Thrower Amashi Kendall finished 22nd overall in the Shot Put earning Honorable Mention All-American.  See University of Louisville Press Release below:

Participating in the shot put final, Kendall registered a 22nd-place finish in the event behind a throw of 14.93m/48-11.75. The Owensboro, Ky., native earned USTFCCCA honorable mention All-America accolades, marking her second career All-America distinction. The senior was a second-team member at the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships in the weight throw.

Kendall reached the national championships in the shot put after placing third in the event at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds.

One of the most decorated throwers in program history, she became the third women’s thrower to secure both indoor and outdoor All-America honors. Kendall has garnered all-BIG EAST accolades on 10 occasions, including her three conference titles. In 2012, she was named the BIG EAST Outdoor Most Outstanding Field Performer of the Meet after winning the hammer throw and placing third in the discus. During the 2012 indoor season, she captured the BIG EAST weight throw title.