University of Minnesota Athletics
Blankenship 15th in 1,500 Meter NCAA Prelim
6/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Ben Blankenship and R.J. McGinnis were the Golden Gophers in action today in the second day of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Blankenship finished sixth in his heat and 15th overall in the prelims of the 1,500-meter run. The Gopher junior clocked a time of 3 minutes, 46.34 seconds. Twelve athletes advance to Saturday’s final in the event.
McGinnis struggled in the first day of the decathlon and stands in 22nd place after five events with a score of 3,610 points. Defending champion Ashton Eaton of Oregon leads the competition with 4,500 points.
The Big Ten champion, McGinnis’ best performance was in the shot put where he finished fifth with a throw of 45-11 1/4. Even that event was a difficult outing as McGinnis fouled his first two throws and needed a legal toss in his last attempt to score. McGinnis started his decathlon running a time of 11.61 seconds in the 100 meter, followed by a leap of 21-4 3/4 in the long jump. After the shot put, McGinnis completed the first day clearing a height of 6-4 in the high jump and a time of 52.34 seconds in the 400 meters.
The decathlon continues with the 110-meter high hurdles at 12 p.m. CT on Friday.
Blankenship finished sixth in his heat and 15th overall in the prelims of the 1,500-meter run. The Gopher junior clocked a time of 3 minutes, 46.34 seconds. Twelve athletes advance to Saturday’s final in the event.
McGinnis struggled in the first day of the decathlon and stands in 22nd place after five events with a score of 3,610 points. Defending champion Ashton Eaton of Oregon leads the competition with 4,500 points.
The Big Ten champion, McGinnis’ best performance was in the shot put where he finished fifth with a throw of 45-11 1/4. Even that event was a difficult outing as McGinnis fouled his first two throws and needed a legal toss in his last attempt to score. McGinnis started his decathlon running a time of 11.61 seconds in the 100 meter, followed by a leap of 21-4 3/4 in the long jump. After the shot put, McGinnis completed the first day clearing a height of 6-4 in the high jump and a time of 52.34 seconds in the 400 meters.
The decathlon continues with the 110-meter high hurdles at 12 p.m. CT on Friday.
Players Mentioned
MD
/ Men's Track & Field
JS
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