CU Buffs
CU tracksters Nelson & Van Halen Advance At USAs
Jun 22nd
DES MOINES, Iowa – Billy Nelson and Aric Van Halen each advanced to the 3,000-meter steeplechase finals at the USA Track & Field Championships on Friday afternoon.
Nelson finished second overall, crossing the finish in 8:37.87, and Van Halen placed 11th overall (8:46.63). The duo ran in separate heats and both were able to finish in the top five for an automatic bid to the finals.
Nelson, an assistant coach for the Buffs, ran a very good race. Halfway through it, he was in third, but the top seven were very close. With two laps remaining, Nelson moved up to second place and was about eight meters behind the leader at the moment (Cory Leslie). As the field came into the bell lap, Nelson had dropped back to third, but he was still positioned very well and moved back up to second. Craig Forys won the heat in 8:37.79.
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Van Halen, who graduated in May, also had a good race but took a different approach. He started in the back of the field and slowly worked his way up. After two complete laps, Van Halen was up to seventh and three laps later he had moved into fifth, but the pack was still very close. With one lap left, the top six had pulled away from the rest of the field and Van Halen was still in great position as he earned the fifth and final automatic spot in the heat. He was just .47 seconds from a second-place finish as Daniel Huling finished in 8:46.16. Donald Cowart crossed third in 8:46.18 and De’Sean Turner was fourth in 8:46.62. Evan Jager won the heat in 8:45.85.
The men’s steeplechase finals will be at 2:55 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
Assistant coach Casey Malone was close to making the U.S. team, but came up just short as he placed fourth in the discus. Malone recorded a toss of 199 feet, 11 inches on his third throw of the afternoon, which won the first flight. Heading into finals, Malone was third overall before James Plummer moved ahead of him with a throw of 200-3. Lance Brooks won with a mark of 204-4.
Action continues at the USATF Championships on Saturday for CU. Former Buff Jeremy Dodson will run in the first round of the 200-meter dash at 1:40 p.m. CU senior Shalaya Kipp will race in the finals of the steeplechase at 3:20 p.m. and it will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network.
USATF OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Drake Stadium (Des Moines, Iowa)
Track Events (Current and former CU Athletes)
Men’s 3,000-Meter Steeplechase (first round): (1. Craig Forys, NY Athletic Club, 8:37.79) 2. Billy Nelson, 8:37.87; 11. Aric Van Halen, 8:46.63
Men’s Discus Throw (finals): (1. Lance Brooks, Nike, 204-4) 4. Casey Malone, 199-11
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Emma Coburn Named A Semifinalist For USTFCCCA special honor
Jun 18th
NEW ORLEANS – Recent University of Colorado graduate Emma Coburn has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the prestigious USTFCCCA’s The Bowerman, which is given out annually to the top male and female collegiate track and field performers of the year.
Coburn won the 2013 NCAA 3,000-meter steeplechase title with the fifth-fastest time in NCAA history less than two weeks ago, crossing the finish in 9:35.38. Overall it was Coburn’s third individual championship. She won the steeplechase in 2011 before redshirting the 2012 season and during the indoor season she won CU’s first NCAA mile title. During her five years at CU, she has been an All-American on six different occasions.
The 2012 Olympian was also named the 2013 USTFCCCA Mountain Region Indoor and Outdoor Women’s Track Athlete of the Year, and for good reason as she ran the fastest mile, 1,500 and steeplechase times by an NCAA athlete in 2013.
The Bowerman takes into account an athlete’s complete season and Coburn got a great start to her final campaign. She was invited to compete in the indoor mile at the 106th Millrose Games (in a field full of professional athletes) and ran a PR of 4:29.86 to become the fifth fastest NCAA athlete ever in the mile. A few short weeks later, she ran another sub-4:30 mile to win CU’s first NCAA indoor mile title in 4:29.91 and also became the first American to run a pair of sub-4:30 miles in the same season.
During the outdoor season, Coburn continued to impress. She ran the then-fastest steeplechase time in the world at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invite (9:28.26) in Stanford, Calif. just two days after her 2013 1,500-meter debut (4:11.36) at the 104th Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. Coburn won her first Pac-12 title in the steeplechase in May (9:55.67).
Instead of taking a week off between outdoor conference and the NCAA West Preliminary Championship, she took to the track again in a field of professional athletes at the OXY High Performance meet in the 1,500 and cruised to a PR of 4:06.87 while becoming the fifth-best performer in NCAA history.
This past April, Coburn was named CU’s Co-Female Athlete of the Year for the third time, as well as winning CU’s Co-Female Career Athletic Achievement Award.
The 10 semifinalists will be cut down to three finalists, which will be announced July 10. Voting for the final winner, including an online fan vote, will take place from late July to mid-August. The ultimate winner will be revealed at the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Convention in December.
ABOUT THE BOWERMAN
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the nation. Southern Utah’s Cam Levins and LSU’s Kimberlyn Duncan are the reigning winners of The Bowerman, which is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman. Past winners include Olympic gold medalist and decathlon world-record holder Ashton Eaton (2010), 10,000-meter Olympic silver medalist Galen Rupp (2009), and 2011 IAAF World Champion at 1500 meters, Jenny Simpson (2009). Bowerman served the sport of track and field in numerous ways. His leadership in the USTFCCCA’s predecessor organization, the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association, and his contributions to NCAA track and field and the running community as a whole are among his many lasting legacies. For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the trophy and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org.
ABOUT THE USTFCCCA
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is a non-profit professional organization representing cross country and track & field coaches of all levels. The organization represents over 8,000 coaching members encompassing 94% of all NCAA track & field programs (DI, DII, and DIII) and includes members representing the NAIA as well as a number of state high school coaches associations. The USTFCCCA serves as an advocate for cross country and track & field coaches, providing a leadership structure to assist the needs of a diverse membership, serving as a lobbyist for coaches’ interests, and working as a liaison between the various stakeholders in the sports of cross country and track & field.
Linda Sprouse
Assistant Sports Information Director
Volleyball/Cross Country/Track & Field
University of Colorado
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Emma Coburn is as good as GOLD!
Jun 9th
Coburn Finishes Storied Career With NCAA Title
EUGENE, Ore. – Emma Coburn finished her outstanding career at the University of Colorado with a bang when she won her second NCAA 3,000-meter steeplechase crown on Saturday afternoon at the NCAA Championships.
The 2012 Olympian was the overall favorite heading into the race as she has the best time by an American this year (9:28.26) and she did not disappoint, winning the race in 9:35.38. Her finishing time was the fifth best in NCAA history and coincidentally all five of those times belong to the Buffs.
The race was a lot closer than most of Coburn’s previous NCAA races despite her typical race strategy of going right to the front to get out of traffic. Heading into the bell lap, she had about a 50-meter lead on the field and the NCAA title was hers to lose. Coburn continued to lead the race, but Florida State’s Colleen Quigley started to regain some ground and finished less than three seconds behind Coburn in 9:38.23. After Quigley, Weber State’s Amber Henry was the next to cross the line in 9:43.39.
Heading into the race, there was a lot of hype surrounding Coburn about whether or not she would go for the NCAA record in the event (9:25.54), which is held by former CU standout Jenny (Barringer) Simpson. Ultimately Coburn did not break the record, but she didn’t seem too upset since she came away from the meet with another championship.
“On a day like this I have to look at the conditions and competition and think about if it is wise to shoot for the record and today I decided to be more conservative,” Coburn said. “I had to be smart. I‘d rather have an NCAA title and I didn’t want to risk not getting that. Today was just about winning the title and its fine with me.”
Overall this is Coburn’s third NCAA championship. She also won the steeplechase in 2011 and the 2013 indoor mile crown this past March. She is also a six-time All-American for the Buffs, three times in the steeplechase, twice in the indoor mile and once in cross country.
This is the sixth steeplechase title the Buffs have won in the last eight years. Simpson won in 2006, 2008 and 2009 and Shalaya Kipp, who is redshirting this season, won in 2012 while Coburn was redshirting.
The title caps off an amazing season for the Crested Butte, Colo. native. She started her senior year last June by winning her second USATF Steeplechase crown to earn a spot at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. There, she made the final and finished ninth in a personal best of 9:23.56.
She didn’t have any eligibility remaining for the cross country season, so Coburn was able to focus on the indoor season. She was invited to compete in the mile at the prestigious Millrose Games (in a field full of professional athletes) and ran a PR of 4:29.86 to become the fifth fastest NCAA athlete in the mile. A few short weeks later, she ran another sub-4:30 mile to win CU’s first NCAA indoor mile title in 4:29.91 and became the first American to run a pair of sub-4:30 miles in the same season.
During the outdoor season, Coburn continued to impress. She ran the then-fastest steeplechase time in the world at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invite (9:28.26) in Stanford, Calif. just two days after her 2013 1,500-meter debut (4:11.36) at the 106th Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. Coburn won her first Pac-12 title in the steeplechase in May (9:55.67).
Instead of taking a week off between conference and the NCAA West Preliminary Championship, she took to the track again in a field of professional athletes at the OXY High Performance meet in the 1,500 and blazed to a PR of 4:06.87 while becoming the fifth-best performer in NCAA history.
This past April, Coburn was named CU’s Co-Female Athlete of the Year for the third time, as well as winning CU’s Co-Female Career Athletic Achievement Award.
Coburn finished the 2013 indoor and outdoor season with the fastest time in the NCAA in the indoor mile, 1,500 and steeplechase.
Although the NCAA season is now complete, Coburn and several other current and former Buffs will compete at the USA Track & Field Championships, June 19-23, in Des Moines, Iowa.
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