Arreaga Earns Top-10 Finish at NCAA Outdoor Championships
EUGENE, Ore. – A freshman standout was the first to represent the Miami Hurricanes at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Kevin Arreaga was the lone Hurricane in action at Historic Hayward Field on Wednesday, competing in the men’s hammer throw, and he made the most of his first trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, placing 10th with a throw of 70.07m.
“I feel good and I feel like I closed out competition well on my last throw,” Arreaga said. “I am happy to have thrown 70 meters here. I think I could have done more, to be honest. On my first two throws, I didn’t feel like myself. To have that 70-meter throw on my last attempt and do it here after three meets where I was stuck at 68 meters makes me really happy. I finally felt like myself on that last throw.”
Arreaga opened the competition with a throw of 67.85m and progressed with each attempt. The Madrid native’s second attempt was marked at 68.51m, while his third throw measured 70.07m to move him into fourth place in Flight 1. Arreaga finished fifth in the opening flight of 12 competitors. He nearly held on to qualify for the finals, but Alabama’s Daniel Haugh posted a mark of 70.52m on his third and final attempt in Flight 2 that moved him into eighth place and bumped Arreaga out of the top nine finalists.
“It had to be gut-wrenching for him sitting there watching,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “It was gut-wrenching to be so close and just miss at the end. He came in here and he had one of the best throws of his life especially from a young kid, a freshman, that’s what you’re looking for. It would have been great to see him have three more throws, but I think he is just going to keep getting better and better.”
The 2018 ACC silver medalist in the men’s hammer throw, Arreaga had an outstanding inaugural season with the Hurricanes. He was a First Team All-ACC honoree after placing second in the hammer at the conference championships. Hisschool record mark of 70.64m was 12th-best overall in the NCAA this season and he was also named ACC Men’s Field Performer of the Week on March 27 after winning the men’s hammer throw at the Power 5 Trailblazer Challenge at USC.
“I am really excited about his future,” Deem said of Arreaga. “He’s going to keep growing and this was one of his best throws in a major championship, whether it’s for his country or us, it’s one of his best throws ever. He’s going to be great for us.”
Miami’s women will open competition on Thursday, as the Hurricanes have entries in the women’s 100m hurdles, women’s 400m hurdles and women’s 4x400m relay. Advancing individuals and relay teams will move on to Saturday’s finals, where they will compete for the national championship in their respective events.
Gian Piero Ragonesi will be the final men’s competitor for the Canes, participating in the discus on Friday, while Michelle Atherley will open up in the women’s heptathlon on Friday. Atherley is back for the final three events of the heptathlon on Saturday, while Debbie Ajagbe will also represent the Miami women in the discus and the Hurricanes could have finalists on the track in the hurdles and the 4x400m relay.
The NCAA Outdoor Championships will be broadcasted live across the ESPN family of networks. You can watch the action on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN 2, Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and on Saturday beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The entire meet, including event-specific streams, will be available on ESPN3and the Watch ESPN app. Fans can also follow the Hurricanes in action via live results by clicking HERE.
At the conclusion of the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the top eight finishers in each event will be named First Team All-American, while finishers 9-16 earn Second Team All-America honors and 17-24 receive All-America honorable mention.
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