UNI's Jansen, Mulder place at championships
Posted: Sunday, June 15, 2008
DES MOINES -- Rachel Jansen said she was inconsistent.
Still, the University of Northern Iowa track senior from Orange City, Iowa, couldn't complain about a fourth-place performance in the shot put Saturday at the NCAA Outdoor Championships held at Drake Stadium.
After all, it was a personal best.
Jansen had a 56-11.5 effort while her UNI teammate, Orange City native, Tyler Mulder, placed in two events, finishing fifth in the 4x400 relay (3:04.97) and sixth in the 800 (1:48.11).
Each of the Northwest Iowans won All-American honors. Overall, UNI crowned nine All-Americans who earned a total of 11 All-America citations in seven events over the course of four days.
Northern Iowa's men, in fact, set a school record with an 11th place national finish, scoring 22 points.
Jansen ended her career as the most decorated female track athlete in UNI history. She won her fourth All-American award in the shot put, surpassing sprinter Shantel Twiggs, who won three All-American awards from 1991-94.
Jansen wasn't the only shot put finalist who hurt herself with fouls in the finals. Second-place Susan King of Memphis, who finished at 58-00.25, about a foot and a half short of event winner Jessica Presley of Arizona State (59-5.75), fouled three times.
In fact, each of the top six finishers scratched at least two times.
Jansen fouled on her first two attempts before reaching the finals with a successful third throw.
"My timing was a little off," said Jansen, an MOC-Floyd Valley High School graduate who placed 11th in the discus Friday and was unable to make the finals in the hammer throw.
"My upper body was too far to the front. I fixed that. Once you're in the finals, you don't hold back. You might get a good throw.
"I threw a PR. When you do that at nationals, you can't complain."
Jansen broke her former UNI record of 56-10 set at the Midwest Regional May 30.
Mulder, a junior and former Unity Christian High School track and cross country standout, had run a 1:48.45 while placing second in his semifinal heat Thursday night.
Mulder, who won the 800-meter title at the NCAA Indoor Championships, was fine with the pace of Saturday's 800 race.
"I knew it was bound to be a fast pace," said Mulder, who won his fifth All-America honor.
"The other guys widened the gap and I just ran out of energy. This was the first time I had qualified for an event here other than the 4x400 and it was the most rounds I had ever gone. I ran six races in a week.
"It was a perfect pace, but it was just a matter of me being tired."
Northern Iowa headed into the finals of the 4x400 ranked sixth with its Thursday semifinal time of 3:05.46. Mulder ran the third leg of the event.
"Cory Goos got us out in a nice position and Ryan Grenko kept us in the mix," said Mulder. "When I got the baton, we closed the gap and Terrance Reid, our anchor, gave us a solid push. It was a matter of us hanging in there. We knew we could contend."
It was the 4x400's second All-America honor after finishing sixth at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Reid later became UNI's most decorated male athlete ever with his seventh All-American honor, following an eighth with a personal best :45.79 in the 400.
Still, the University of Northern Iowa track senior from Orange City, Iowa, couldn't complain about a fourth-place performance in the shot put Saturday at the NCAA Outdoor Championships held at Drake Stadium.
After all, it was a personal best.
Jansen had a 56-11.5 effort while her UNI teammate, Orange City native, Tyler Mulder, placed in two events, finishing fifth in the 4x400 relay (3:04.97) and sixth in the 800 (1:48.11).
Each of the Northwest Iowans won All-American honors. Overall, UNI crowned nine All-Americans who earned a total of 11 All-America citations in seven events over the course of four days.
Northern Iowa's men, in fact, set a school record with an 11th place national finish, scoring 22 points.
Jansen ended her career as the most decorated female track athlete in UNI history. She won her fourth All-American award in the shot put, surpassing sprinter Shantel Twiggs, who won three All-American awards from 1991-94.
Jansen wasn't the only shot put finalist who hurt herself with fouls in the finals. Second-place Susan King of Memphis, who finished at 58-00.25, about a foot and a half short of event winner Jessica Presley of Arizona State (59-5.75), fouled three times.
In fact, each of the top six finishers scratched at least two times.
Jansen fouled on her first two attempts before reaching the finals with a successful third throw.
"My timing was a little off," said Jansen, an MOC-Floyd Valley High School graduate who placed 11th in the discus Friday and was unable to make the finals in the hammer throw.
"My upper body was too far to the front. I fixed that. Once you're in the finals, you don't hold back. You might get a good throw.
"I threw a PR. When you do that at nationals, you can't complain."
Jansen broke her former UNI record of 56-10 set at the Midwest Regional May 30.
Mulder, a junior and former Unity Christian High School track and cross country standout, had run a 1:48.45 while placing second in his semifinal heat Thursday night.
Mulder, who won the 800-meter title at the NCAA Indoor Championships, was fine with the pace of Saturday's 800 race.
"I knew it was bound to be a fast pace," said Mulder, who won his fifth All-America honor.
"The other guys widened the gap and I just ran out of energy. This was the first time I had qualified for an event here other than the 4x400 and it was the most rounds I had ever gone. I ran six races in a week.
"It was a perfect pace, but it was just a matter of me being tired."
Northern Iowa headed into the finals of the 4x400 ranked sixth with its Thursday semifinal time of 3:05.46. Mulder ran the third leg of the event.
"Cory Goos got us out in a nice position and Ryan Grenko kept us in the mix," said Mulder. "When I got the baton, we closed the gap and Terrance Reid, our anchor, gave us a solid push. It was a matter of us hanging in there. We knew we could contend."
It was the 4x400's second All-America honor after finishing sixth at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Reid later became UNI's most decorated male athlete ever with his seventh All-American honor, following an eighth with a personal best :45.79 in the 400.
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