Jacob Thomson 44th at NCAA Championships
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Jacob Thomson used a strong second half to finish 44th
at the NCAA Cross Country Championships on his hometown course at EP “Tom”
Sawyer Park on Saturday.
Thomson passed 16 runners in the final 2,000 meters of his second 10,000-meter
race in eight days. His time of 30:30.50 was 0.9 seconds and four spots behind
the coveted 40th-placer.
The top-40 finishers earn All-America honors from the United States Track
& Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
“I got out not excellent, but well and I worked my way up through the
race,” Thomson said. “I worked my way up from 50-or-60th to the mid-40s all
through the last kilometer. I wanted more, but overall I’ll take it.
“It gives me a lot of confidence. I’ve really stepped up
within the last year. I feel more comfortable running up front with the all big
guys.”
Thomson, a sophomore transfer, was the first Wildcat to qualify for the NCAA
Championships since Cally Macumber in 2013. Luis Orta was the last UK men’s
team member to qualify for NCAAs, in 2012, which was the last time the NCAA
Championships were held in Louisville. Orta finished 114th in
30:52.30.
Thomson made the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2013, finishing 214th in
32:30.70.
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