Track & Field Upperclassmen Post Top-Eight Finishes

Thursday, June 9

Eugene, Ore.

TBA

Indiana University

NCAA Outdoor Championships

Track & Field Upperclassmen Post Top-Eight Finishes

6/9/2016 10:40:00 PM | Track and Field

Clute clears 4.30m for fourth-place; McClinton takes seventh in hammer throw

EUGENE, Ore. – With the conclusion of the Indiana track & field team's men's action on Wednesday, three Hoosiers entered Historic Hayward field for the women's events on Thursday evening. In the women's pole vault final, Sydney Clute earned her second selection to the All-American first team with a fourth-place finish. Junior Nakel McClinton ascended to first team NCAA All-American status with a seventh-place finish in the women's hammer throw final.

"I'm excited right now," McClinton said after stepping away from the podium. "It's extra special to achieve this after being unable to achieve that in the indoor season. It hasn't really set in just how huge this is, but today was a great day."

McClinton was the first athlete in action for the Hoosiers on Thursday, kicking off the first flight of the women's hammer throw finals. After throwing her first mark of 57.20m, McClinton improved on her next two throws. The junior reached 61.20m on her second attempt, and followed with a final distance of 62.91m.

McClinton's final throw in the first flight was 4.03m further than her best mark at the NCAA East Regionals. The mark clinched a spot in the final round for McClinton, as she achieved the seventh-furthest distance in the field.

"It was nerve-racking waiting for the second flight to finish," said McClinton. "But I was ecstatic when I realized I advanced to the final round."

In the final round of the women's hammer throw, McClinton was unable to increase her best distance but amassed a pair of solid attempts. The junior notched distances of 62.28m and 61.65m on her first and third attempts of the final round, respectively. McClinton received her first selection to the All-American first team after holding on to seventh-place.

Laura Schroeder, in the second flight of competitors, achieved a best throw of 59.11m (193' 11"). The mark earned Schroeder an 18^th-place finish in the field.

Clute spared the dramatics at the first increment, 4.05m, by clearing on her first attempt. She followed that with a second-attempt clearance at 4.20m. After a swift clearance at 4.30m, Clute was one of five remaining in the competition.

With the rain falling on the pole vault pit at Hayward field, three of the five remaining competitors passed on the height of 4.35m. Clute was one of the two who opted to take the vault. As close as she came on her third and final attempt, Clute bowed out at 4.35m.

Clute improves from her eighth-place finish at the 2014 Outdoor Championships, where she cleared a height of 4.15m, to take fourth-place with a final clearance of 4.30m.

Replay the NCAA Outdoor Championships

Relive the Hoosiers competing at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, courtesy of ESPN3 (cable provider required). Below are the replay streams of Indiana's athletes in their events:

Daniel Kuhn: Men's 800m Semifinals
Willie Morrison: Men's Shot Put Final
Nakel McClinton and Laura Schroeder: Women's Hammer Throw Final
Sydney Clute: Women's Pole Vault Final