SACRAMENTO -- Three Cougar athletes were honored as All-Americans at the NCAA Track and Field Championships Friday.
Men's Pole Vault (Final)
BYU senior Robbie Pratt finished second in the pole vault competition with a height of 18 feet 1/2 inch. Pratt, the 2005 outdoor national champion in the event, kept the fans on edge with three attempts before clearing his first and only height. The hope for a repeat title in the pole vault was not to be, though, as Pratt passed on the next height and then missed his three chances at 18 feet 4.5 inches. This is Pratt's second outdoor All-America honor.
"Robbie had one huge jump and that's pretty incredible," coach Mark Robison said. "We weren't going to beat Skipper today but we're ecstatic about Robbie's performance and feel very fortunate about how well he did."
The 2006 indoor champion, Oregon's Tommy Skipper, took the title, never missing a height until he reached 19 feet 2.25 inches. He finished with a height of 18 feet 4.5 inches. Pratt and Skipper last went up against each other at the West Regionals where Pratt was the victor.
Men's High Jump (Final)
David Pendergrass neared a personal record in the high jump finals with his jump of 7 feet 2.5 inches. Pendergrass finished seventh in the event to earn his first All-America honor. He is a five-time Mountain West Conference champion in the event.
Women's 3,000-meter Steeplechase (Final)
The women's 3,000-meter steeplechase saw BYU freshman Amy Fowler to her first All-America honor. Fowler kept with the top eight for much of the race and finished with a lifetime best of 10:08.12. She is one of only two freshmen to compete in the finals. The other, Colorado's Jennifer Barringer, took the event title.
I'm really, really pleased for Amy," distance coach Patrick Shane said. "She ran a phenomenal race; I don't think she could have run any better. That's a brutal race and she just stuck her nose in there and ran tough. It's exciting to have a freshman with so much talent."
Fellow teammate Rena Chesser, who placed third at the championships last year, finished 12th with a time of 10:19.47.
Men's 400-meter Hurdles (Semifinal)
The MWC Freshman of the Year, BYU's Chris Carter, did not disappoint as he crossed the line second in his heat to qualify for Saturday's final in the 400-meter hurdles. Carter ran a personal best of 49.61 to hurdle his way even closer to All-America status. Carter will enter the finals with the fourth-fastest time of the group.
The Championships will continue with performances from Chris Carter in the 400-meter hurdles, Kyle Perry in the 1,500 meters and Josh McAdams in the 3,000-meter steeplechase Saturday. Results are available on www.ncaasports.com and a recap will be available on www.byucougars.com at the conclusion of events.