University of Louisville
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Track and Field's Matt Hughes Repeats as National Champion
June 10, 2011 | Men's Track and Field
June 10, 2011
DES MOINES, Iowa - University of Louisville track and field athletes have a habit of repeating, especially after winning one national title. On Friday, Matt Hughes raced to a personal best and stadium-best time in the 3,000m steeplechase to repeat as the national titlist at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
"All the props to Matt Hughes," head coach Ron Mann says. "He did a great job preparing. Coach (Brice) Allen got his as prepared as you possibly could.
"To be a national champion is one thing, to repeat as a national champion is just phenomenal. It's a great way to end his collegiate career, and we couldn't be more proud of Matt and coach Allen."
"One of the things that we worked on throughout the spring time was his closing speed, and he really hit it tonight," coach Brice Allen continues. "It was the right night for him. The stars lined up, and he capitalized on it. Running his last 800m in 2:08 is certainly an accomplishment in and of itself considering the barriers and the water. He did perfectly with his water jumps - it was seven perfectly executed water jumps. It was a well-executed race."
Hughes, the 2010 national titlist in the event, entered the meet as the No. 1 seed with a season-best time of 8:35.74, a mark he used to win the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds. After winning the semifinal race on June 8, Hughes kept form, bolting out of the gate and taking a lead that he would never relinquish. The Oshawa, Ontario, native crossed the finish line in a personal best and stadium-record time of 8:24.87, also shattering the school mark that he used to win last year's national title by nearly 10 seconds.
With the win, he becomes the school's second repeat national champion - first on the men's side and first in an outdoor event - after D'Ana McCarty achieved the feat by capturing back-to-back indoor weight throw national titles.
"I had two goals going into this race: win again and try to get the Canadian `B' Standard to make the World Team for Canada. I got the `B' Standard, and this is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I tried not to think about defending my title, but it's kind of hard not to do that. It's just a great feeling."
In order to run for the Canadian World Team, Hughes must hit the `B' Standard again (8:32) or reach the `A' Standard (8:24). He will attempt the feat from June 22-25 at the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
McCarty also had a strong performance on Friday, adding to her impressive list of accomplishments at NCAA Championship meets by finishing eighth in the hammer throw final. An Indianapolis, Ind., native, McCarty placed eighth in her heat with a toss of 62.42m/204-9. She improved her mark in the final, with a career-best throw of 62.92m/206-5 to earn first team All-America honors, her second career distinction in the event. The throw is the second best women's mark in program history.
Also competing at the meet was Michael Eaton, who earned honorable mention All-America honors with a 20th-place finish in the 10,000m. The senior, who crossed the finish line in 30:18.11, previously earned All-America accolades in the event in 2008.
On Saturday, June 11, the final day of competition, McCarty, Khadija Abdullah and Chinwe Okoro are scheduled to participate in the women's shot put at noon ET.
For all of the latest information on Louisville cross country and track and field, log on to uoflsports.com, or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team's Twitter account at www.twitter.com/louisvilletrack.
NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (JUNE 8-11 | DES MOINES, IOWA)
Women's Hammer Throw Final
8. D'Ana McCarty - 62.92m/206-5
Men's 10,000m Final
20. Michael Eaton - 30:18.11
Men's 3,000m Steeplechase Final
1. Matt Hughes - 8:24.87
Players Mentioned
