NCAA Championships Day Two Results
June 7, 2012
LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky thrower Raymond Dykstra is a United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association First Team All-American. He’s also just a freshman.
Dykstra finished sixth in the javelin Thursday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, earning the Wildcats’ men’s team three points.
A Second Team All-Southeastern Conference performer and All-SEC Freshman Team selection, Dykstra entered the semifinals of the competition as one of just six freshmen. On his second throw of the day, Dykstra recorded a mark of 242-11/74.04m to move into fourth place. By the end of the semifinals, the Grimsby, Canada, native’s position had moved to sixth and it did not change in the finals. Dykstra finishes the year as the top freshman javelin thrower in the country and as the UK record holder in the javelin after throwing 247-05/75.41m at the Texas Relays in late March.
Also competing Thursday was UK junior distance runner Luis Orta. Orta, a Caracas, Venezuela, native who was a Second Team All-SEC performer in the 3,000m steeplechase this year, finished 22nd with a time of 9:08.78. Orta had qualified for the national championships behind a career-best time of 8:44.25, which is the second-fastest 3,000m steeplechase recorded in Kentucky history.
Facing the best of the best Wednesday, sophomore thrower Andrew Evans rose to the occasion with a career-best mark of 193-03/58.91m to finish seventh in the event and earn the Wildcats’ men’s team two points. Evans’ career-best mark, the sixth-best in school history, was on his second attempt of the day, and only adds to his already fantastic season.
A native of Portage, Mich., Evans won the discus at the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, earning All-SEC First Team honors in the process. Evans can now also claim the title of a USTFCCCA First Team All-American.
Thursday’s competition closes out the Wildcats’ outdoor track and field season. While their finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships is still in flux, the Kentucky men’s team finished eighth at the SEC Championships in Baton Rouge, La., and the women’s team finished 12th.
Four Wildcats earned All-SEC honors for their performances at the SEC Championships. Evans was a First Team All-SEC selection in the discus, while Dykstra and Orta were Second Team All-SEC selections in the javelin and steeplechase, respectively. Dykstra was also named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in the javelin, and sprinter Keilah Tyson was an SEC All-Freshman Team selection in the 100m and 200m dash.
ESPNU will air live coverage of the meet Saturday beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET. ESPN3.com will stream the championships live on June 7-9. ESPNU will air a tape-delayed package of the final rounds of the meet on June 16 at 2:00 p.m.
For all Kentucky track and field news and information, follow the Wildcats on Twitter at “KentuckyTrack” and go to UKathletics.com.
NCAA Outdoor National Championships
Drake Stadium – Des Moines, Iowa
June 6-9, 2012
Men’s Team Standings
1. Texas – 19 points
2. Arkansas – 16 points
3. Nebraska – 14 points
T18. KENTUCKY – 5 points
Kentucky Individual Point Scorers
Raymond Dykstra – 3 points (6th – Javelin)
Andrew Evans – 2 points (7th – Discus)
Wednesday’s Results
Men’s Discus
7. Andrew Evans – 193-03/58.91m
Thursday’s Results
Men’s Javelin
6. Raymond Dykstra – 74.04m/242-11
Men’s 3,000-Meter Steeplechase (Semifinals)
22. Luis Orta – 9:08.78
