College of William & Mary sophomore Derek O’Connell brought his successful year to a close Saturday afternoon, tying for 19th place in the pole vault at the NCAA Eastern Semifinals.
The top-12 vaulters earned places at the NCAA Finals in two weeks, and it took a best-ever height of 4.32m (17-5.5) to advance.
O’Connell was one of five men in the field — of 48 total — to vault a lifetime-best on Saturday, and improved his seeding by a mammoth 15 places over what he was predicted to finish.
Click here to read the full story, courtesy of TribeAthletics.com.
Balouris, Stites Advance to NCAA Finals at 10,000m
As expected, the William and Mary women’s track and field team advanced two athletes to the nationals finals of the NCAA Championships on Thursday night, but the speed at which it happened surely surprised all but a select few.
The Tribe was competing at the Eastern Semifinals in Jacksonville, Fla., and had a total of four athletes competing in two events for one of the 12 coveted finals bids.
In the headline event of the night, the 10,000m, senior All-American Elaina Balouris and sophomore All-American Emily Stites took control from the gun and led the way to a pair of automatic bids to Hayward Field.
Working in tandem to share the work of leading, the duo finished second and third overall in the race, nearly a minute ahead of the final qualifying time. Balouris was in front, running a lifetime-best 33:13.54, and finished just .08 seconds behind the night’s winner from Michigan. Click here for details.
Tribe Football Reunion to Celebrate 2004 Squad
The William and Mary Athletics Department will celebrate the transformative successes of the 2004 football team during the 12th annual Football Alumni Reunion.
The 2004 squad was groundbreaking in being the first W & M football team to win 11 games in a season and advance to the national semifinals of the FCS Playoffs (then I-AA). On its way to winning the conference championship, the squad was one of the highest scoring programs in the nation during the regular season.
Wes Welker to Replace Josh Gordon as Guest Instructor at All-Pro Football Camp
William and Mary head football coach Jimmye Laycock announced last week wide receiver Wes Welker of the Denver Broncos will be featured as a guest instructor at the Tribe’s annual Colonial All-Pro camp scheduled for later this month.
Welker will replace Josh Gordon of the Cleveland Browns, who is facing a possible season-long suspension by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, as the camp’s third guest instructor along with fellow NFL stars LaSean McCoy of the Philadelphia Eagles and Super Bowl Champion Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks. It is unclear whether Gordon’s decision is related to the alleged violations.
The camp is scheduled to be held June 22-25 at the College’s Zable Stadium. Click here for details.
Other Tribe News:
- McGovern Finishes Track Season in NCAA Semifinals
- Baseball’s Kevin Nutter Named COSIDA/Capital One Academic All-American
- Junior Michael Katz Named Louisville Slugger First-Team All-American
- Lax’s Dougherty Selected to Play in IWLCA North-South All-Star Game
- Men’s Soccer Adds Fifth Signee to 2014 Recruiting Class
