Trio finish among top eight at NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships
Fayetteville, Ark. - A trio of George Mason men\'s track and field athletes will be returning to Fairfax, Va. with from the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships with \"All-American\" attached to their name.Senior Marc Kellman, sophomore Ryan McCoy and senior Richard Phillips earned All-American status on Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark. Kellman was fifth in the triple jump, McCoy was eighth in the triple jump and Phillips was eighth in the 60-meter hurdles.
Kellman became an All-American for the first time in part because of a leap of 16.21 meters in the triple jump. That jump came on his second attempt and made him one of just five competitors to clear 16.00 meters in the competition. The mark was by far the best of his career. His previous personal best was 15.89 meters, which he reached at the Father Diamond Open Invitational earlier this season.
McCoy, also a first-time All-American, also had the best jump of his career, albeit by a slimmer margin. McCoy jumped 15.88 on Saturday in his final jump. That topped his previous collegiate best of 15.84, also set at the Father Diamond. McCoy finished just ahead of Rick Bellford of Wisconsin, who was ninth with a distance of 15.82 meters.
While Kellman and McCoy were having personal bests, Phillips, who has twice earned All-American status, had his worst day of the season. The 2004 Olympic semifinalist ran a 7.93 in the 60-meter hurdles to finish eighth. That matches the slowest time the IC4A Champion and Millrose Game runner-up has run all season.
The trio of athletes won\'t have much down time as they must now turn their attention toward qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The outdoor season begins next weekend with the men\'s team competing at Arizona State University. George Mason will host the CAA Track and Field Championships this year on April 22 and 23.