OSHKOSH, Wis. - Overcoming a driving rainstorm throughout most of the afternoon, two Whitworth athletes posted All-American finishes to lead the Pirate men to a tie for 16th place today at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Kory Kemp (So., Redmond, Wash.) threw the javelin 191'-2" to finish third in the event. Joel Krebs of George Fox won with a mark of 198'-8". Kemp's distance was short of his career best (205'-1"), but strong considering the weather conditions at the stadium. Emmanuel Bofa (Fr., Puyallup, Wash.) finished fourth in the 800 meter run with a time of 1:54.03, outkicking four other runners in a tight pack down the stretch. Jimmy O'Brien of Ohio Northern won the event with a time of 1:53.16. Both Kemp and Bofa are now NCAA Division III All-Americans, based on top-8 finishes in their event. Jeff Kintner (Fr., Wenatchee, Wash.) had a solid showing in the shot put with a distance of 48'-11.5", but he did not advance out of the preliminary round. Kemp scored six points and Bofa added five points to go along with the six points scored by Cody Stelzer (Fr., The Dalles, Ore.), who finished third in the high jump on Friday. The 17 total points tied the Pirates with McMurry for 16th place in the final men's standings. It is the highest finish for a Whitworth track and field team as a member of NCAA Division III. Wis.-La Crosse won the meet with 99 points, easily outdistancing Courtland State's (N.Y.) 34 points. Whitworth was the highest finishing Northwest Conference school, one point ahead of George Fox (16 points). The official championship website can be found here: http://www.titans.uwosh.edu/NCAATFChampionships/2007/index.html. |
