Led by sophomore Addy Townsend and junior Vladislav Tsygankov, Simon Fraser University came away with four All-American performances at the NCAA Div. 2 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Bradenton, Fla.
Competing in her first NCAA outdoors championships, Townsend captured All-American honours after placing sixth in the women’s 800 metres. She completed the two laps in a time of 2:08.39.
Junior Carsyn Koch of Cedarville won the race in 2:05.21. Koch and McKendree’s Quincy McSweeney led the pack after completing the first 400 metres in just over a minute, with Townsend two seconds off the pace in sixth. Known for her strong kick, Townsend couldn’t make up the difference over the final lap but still came away with an All-American first team performance. Her time was just off her personal best 2:07.96.
The women’s 800 metres yielded three All-Americans for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Western Oregon’s Olivia Woods led the way, placing third with a time of 2:07.38 while Alaska Anchorage’s Danielle McCormick placed seventh in a time of 2:08.72.
The trio of All-Americans capped a season that saw eight GNAC runners – including four from SFU – qualify for nationals in the event, accounting for over one-third of the field.
Townsend came away with her third All-American performance this year after she earned a pair of All-American trophies in the 800m and distance medley during the indoor season.
Simon Fraser’s Alana Mussatto did not qualify for the finals of the 800m on Saturday but earned second team All-American honours with an 11th place finish overall.
Tsygankov earned All-American first team honours by finishing seventh in the men’s 400m hurdles in a time of 52.15 seconds. It was just the third time he had ever run the race at the NCAA level.
The first time Tsygankov competed in the event he qualified for nationals. His second was the preliminary race on Thursday where he qualified for the national final. He finished almost three seconds behind winner Shawn Rowe of St. Augustine’s.
It was Tsygankov’s third All-American performance this year after taking home honours in the 400m and long jump during the indoor season.
Junior Julia Howley placed ninth in the 1500m in 4:29.57. Her performance carried her to a second team All-American honour.
The Clan women finished 56th overall with three team points while the men were 62nd with two points among 306 schools in NCAA Div. 2.
Two of the most successful cross country and track and field programs in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) this season also rank among the top women’s programs in all of Div. 2, according to the Div. 2 Program of the Year standings released by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Simon Fraser University’s women’s cross country and track and field programs finished 10th in the rankings for the Jerry Baltes Program of the Year. The Alaska Anchorage women’s cross country and track and field program finished 11th.
The USTFCCCA Programs of the Year are awarded to the institution that has achieved the most success in each academic year (spanning the cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field seasons) based on the institution’s finish at the NCAA championships.
Simon Fraser’s women finished with 89.5 points, buoyed by the Clan’s sixth-place finish in the NCAA Div. 2 cross country championships. SFU placed 24th in the indoor track championships and 56th in the outdoor championships.
