June 9, 2012
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DES MOINES, Iowa - Stephen Saenz and Kai Selvon both had key second-place finishes on Saturday at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Drake University. The Auburn men finished sixth overall and the women were 24th.
Saenz finished second in the shot put, an improvement from his 10th place showing a season ago. Additionally, Selvon finished as the runner-up in the women's 200 meters giving her two top-four finishes in two days.
The Auburn men finished in sixth place overall with a total of 30 points. The finish was a bump from 37th in 2011 and the top finish for the program since finish as the runner-up in 2008. Auburn's 2012 performance gives the Tigers eight top 10 finishes under head coach Ralph Spry.
"It would've almost taken a perfect meet to win a team title, but we were certainly going to be in second or third range," Spry said. "It's part of the game. We are going to learn from this and find a way to get over the hump and come back with a vengeance. I'm really proud of how we lined up this week. We will be back next year with a bigger group and we will add more firepower. This group that scored this year will all return in 2013. When you have a year under your belt with this type of experience, it only benefits as you come back for another year."
The Auburn men entered the day with the second-most remaining scoring opportunities of any team at the meet, but once again the injury bug bit and it couldn't have come at a worse time. Junior Harry Adams was expected to run a key leg on the 4x100m relay team and also compete for the title in the 200 meters, but a knee injury on Friday resulted in a change in the relay and a setback for the junior in the 200m.
Without Adams, Auburn (38.69) rallied for a third-place finish behind LSU (38.38) and Florida State (38.57). Adams' absence from the relay team gave senior Michael DeHaven a chance to return from the leg injury he suffered in Jacksonville two weeks ago. The senior from
"I was really proud of DeHaven," Spry said. "I know he didn't want to go out like he did at the prelims with an injury. He stayed tough and did the things to get healthy. I looked him in the eyes and asked him if he was ready to go and he told me he was ready. I put him in there and he ran a really good leg. That was a solid finish considering we had to take Harry Adams off the relay. We really competed well."
DeHaven found out on Friday night that he would be running in place of Adams and for the senior it was a no-brainer.
"They needed me," DeHaven said. "I wouldn't have missed this for the world, the chance to go out with these boys. When a man goes down, then another man steps up. I was going to do whatever I had to that would help the team."
The mark of 38.69 bests the previous high by Jeremy Hardy, Marcus Rowland, DeHaven and Keenan Brock from the Penn Relays of 39.34. The mark is the third sub-39 second time in Auburn history and ranks third overall for the program.
On the back of Selvon, the women's team recorded 13 points and finished 24th. The Tigers have now finished in the top 25 for 12 consecutive years. The junior from Trinidad and Tobago turned in one of her top times of the season in the women's 200 meters with a 23.19 as she out-leaned Dominique Duncan from Texas A&M at the tape for second place.
"It's a good feeling [to finish second], but I can't become complacent," Selvon said. "Every year someone new steps up, so I've got to get back to work and continue improving."
For Selvon, second place was a seven spot improvement from 2011 when she finished ninth and narrowly missed the finals.
Then in the men's 200 meters, Brock finished sixth in 21.02 and Adams showed his mettle to gut out an eighth-place finish despite his knee injury severely inhibiting his ability to run. By virtue of Adams completing the race, Auburn picked up one point to combine with Brock's three and put all the pressure squarely on the broad shoulders of Stephen Saenz. The sophomore from Rio Grande City, Texas didn't disappoint.
Competing in the first flight, Saenz took the lead on his third throw in the opening round with a mark of 64-8 (19.71m). The mark would eventually be bumped to second in the second flight, setting the stage for a dramatic final three throws.
Arizona State's Jordan Clarke posted a big throw of nearly 67 feet, but Saenz responded a new top mark of 64-10.75 (19.78m) to remain in second. Then on his second throw, Saenz appeared to break 20 meters, but the sheer force of his momentum sent him to the ground and fouled. Saenz fouled again on his third throw of the finals as he went for the big mark and he finished in second place overall.
"Whenever you come out to a meet and perform well, especially close to your PR, then it's a good thing," Saenz said. "That's what you are aiming for. I was within five inches or less of my personal best, so I'm pleased with my performance."
Auburn returns all but one individual that scored at the NCAA Championships meet this week. For Saenz, that points to positive things in the future.
"To get sixth place at nationals and have all of us be All-Americans and know that all of the guys are coming back next year is exciting," Saenz said. "We've had a taste of the top. We could smell it. So now I think next year we will be ready to come out and do even better."
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