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Jordan Clarke wins 4th straight championship


Track and field coach Greg Kraft said before the weekend that champions rise to the occasion and take what’s theirs.

That’s been redshirt senior Jordan Clarke's motto since he joined the program.

The thrower had won the past three national championships, two outdoor, one indoor, entering the NCAA Indoor Championships on Friday and Saturday in Arkansas.

If Clarke could win to make it four straight, he would be closer to NCAA history in the shot put.

After Friday’s results, Clarke could say he's one away from getting to that feat.

“It feels really amazing to have won four straight NCAA titles,” Clarke said. “I have worked really hard and have made many sacrifices to get where I am and to see the result of hard work. It really is nice.”

The 6-foot-4 Alaska native won with a toss of 20.50 meters (67-03.25), which was just shy of his seasonal best and over a foot better than second place.

“The best thing about winning four straight is seeing my dedication and hard work come to life,” Clarke said. “Looking back on my final indoor season in college, I can truly say I am happy with the overall result. I can’t regret anything.”

But it doesn’t end there for the decorated national champion. There is still a final goal in mind.

“The next step and focus will firstly be getting my hand healthy and get back on full-time and regular training,” Clarke said. “My main goal is to win a fifth title in a row and to throw over 70 feet outdoors.”

The historical mark is not far from Clarke’s monster reach, but the outdoor season is another beast.

Clarke’s teammate, redshirt junior pole vaulter Derick Hinch would finish sixth out of 15 jumpers with a clearance of 5.50 meters (18-00.50). He entered the meet as the No. 10 seed but finished higher than the numbers showed.

Junior jumper, Bryan McBride, got into the NCAA meet by the skin of his teeth. He helped the Sun Devil men gain some points with a ninth overall finish in the high jump.

The men would finish the NCAA Indoor Championship with a 16th place finish.

 

 

Women fight to the finish

Coach Kraft emphasized the reliance of the women’s team on senior Christabel Nettey and redshirt junior Chelsea Cassulo in the final indoor meet.

And Nettey and Cassulo both performed fantastically in their respective events, just as Kraft expected.

Senior multi-competitor Nettey finished second in the long jump with a leap of 6.55 meters (21-06.00). Technically, she tied for first place with the same distance as Kansas senior Andrea Geubelle, but the tiebreaker goes to the next best jump, which Geubelle had by about 4 inches.

Cassulo started the meet off for the Sun Devils on Friday and finished fourth in the weight throw.

She was ranked No. 14 going into the meet, but rose the occasion in Fayetteville, Ark. Two of her throws were also career bests.

Her fellow throwing teammate, redshirt junior Anna Jelmini, also tacked on the points for the Sun Devil women with a shot put throw of 17.20 meters (56-05.25) for a fifth-place finish.

But it was senior leader Keia Pinnick who came back after her minor injury two weekends ago. She only participated in the 4x400-meter relay in the MPSF Championships.

“I had some setbacks with my hamstring and missed out on some training and competitions,” Pinnick said. “It was good under the circumstances.”

Pinnick participated in the indoor pentathlon for the first time ever, but did not look like a rookie. She would finish in a close second with a total score of 4,327.

“I think the weekend was good, but not as great as I would have liked,” Pinnick said. “I’m happy overall with the outcome, though I think that it could have gone better."

Pinnick said she tried to not let her lingering injury affect her performance.

“At nationals, I wasn’t 100 percent but competed as though I was, and I did leave everything on the line as best as I could.”

Like the rest of her team, their attention turns to a new season and a new beginning.

“Now that indoors is complete, outdoors is definitely the main focus,” Pinnick said. “Every meet is important, so I will take them serious as I always have."

The outdoor season for ASU track and field begins March 15 and March 16 in Tempe for the Castillo Invitational.

Reach the reporter at msterrel@asu.edu


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