Combined Results: Day 1 Results - Day 2 Results
Delaware, OH — Junior Tyler Newhook has done it again.
After arriving to the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships as the 16th-fastest athlete in the 800-meter run, the Long Pond, Pa. native effectively flipped the script at Ohio Wesleyan University's George Gaither Track Friday night, running a lifetime-best 1:51.36 — and advancing to Saturday's finals as a result.
Newhook finished third in the first of three heats on a cool and overcast evening in central Ohio, taking nearly a second off his qualifying time of 1:52.16 after setting the pace early. That aggressive start helped the junior qualify to Saturday's finals as the first at-large time — the top two finishers in each heat plus the next two fastest times advance.
“Tyler was confident enough to take the lead and set the pace,” said Dale Fogelsanger, Messiah head coach. “And he went out and ran a personal-best.”
The effort was eerily similar to that which he posted at the 2011 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships two and a half months ago, where Newhook entered as the 11th seed but qualified for the finals — eventually finishing third overall in the championship race en route to his first All-American honor.
Friday night was more of the same, as the junior edged Wheaton College's Luke Vance by four one-hundredths of a second and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater's Jeremie Bogard (1:51.50) for the seventh-quickest pace of the entire evening.
St. John's University's Tom Hoffman posted the quickest time Friday, eventually overtaking Newhook in the first heat to run 1:50.69. The evening's initial race was by far the quickest, as four runners from the first heat advanced to Saturday's finals.
“Tyler runs his best at the biggest meets, and he proved it again tonight,” Fogelsanger said. “Because he set such a quick pace (in his heat), he helped guarantee himself a spot in the finals, even without finishing in the top two of his heat.”
Newhook now all but guarantees himself another All-American honor, pending he finishes Saturday's finals: The top eight runners earn All-American status, as long as they finish the event.
Newhook will run at 3:20 p.m. against seven other finalists. Hoffman, Fredonia State University's Nick Guarino (1:50.81), Wabash College's Jake Waterman (1:50.88), Amherst College's Been Scheetz (1:51.02), the University of Chicago's Andrew Wells-Qu (1:51.03), the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point David Litsheim (1:51.24) and Vance (1:51.40) comprise the rest of the field.
And while Newhook's 800-meter championship race promises to be exciting, it's only a third of the Messiah contingent competing Saturday: Sophomore Hillary Pelkey will compete in the women's javelin throw at 12 p.m., while senior Jared High will partake in the men's javelin throw at 3 p.m.
Fans can follow all the action at Ohio Wesleyan's NCAA Championships website. Detailed information — including live video feeds and a real-time blog — are available. A complete schedule of events is also available in PDF format.
