Jordan Geist
EUGENE, Ore. — Arizona freshman Maksims Sincukovs earned All-American honors Friday by finishing seventh in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA outdoor track at field championships.
Competing in a light rain, Sincukovs ran the one-lap race in 50.63 seconds, slightly slower than his time of 50.49 in Wednesday’s semifinals.
Raj Benjamin of USC won the race in a collegiate-record time of 47.02. It tied for second as the fastest time ever in the event.
Jordan Geist placed 12th in the discus and fellow freshman Turner Washington was 19th out of the 24 finalists from around the country.
Geist’s reached 180 feet, 3 inches on his best throw in the event and Washington hit 175-1.
Sincukovs, Geist and Washington give the UA men’s team a strong nucleus for next year, said UA coach Fred Harvey. All three were ranked among the top 12 athletes in the world in their events for their age group.
“I’m really excited with Maksims’ performance,” Harvey said. “He came from another country (Latvia) as a 19-year-old and was able to make it to place seventh in the U.S. national finals.”
Bryant O’Georgia, competing in his last meet as a Wildcat, fell out of the high jump competition early when he failed to clear the high jump’s opening height of 6-9 3/4.
Harvey said it “broke his heart” that senior Alyssa Thompson turned her ankle in a practice this week.
Thompson tried to compete Friday in the seven-event heptathlon but was forced to withdraw after running the 100-meter hurdles.
Georgia won the NCAA team championship followed by Florida, Houston and USC.
Houston’s 400-meter relay team from set a collegiate record of 38.17.
USC’s Michael Norman won the 400-meter dash in 43.81, the fastest time in the world this year.
