Spartans Crown Five All-Americans on Saturday
May 25, 2019
GENEVA, Ohio - The University of Dubuque track and field team had an impressive final day at the 2019 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships as they would have four different indviduals earns All-American status including Alison Beeman who achieved it in both the 100m dash and 200m dash.
Kortez Pickett began the final day of the championships for the Spartans, competing in the triple jump where he would come away with a 19th place finish after a top jump of 13.78m/45-02.50.
Rebecca Burmahl came into the women’s hammer as the second seed and it played to script as she came away with a second place finish to earn All-American status. Burmahl did not waste any time as her best throw of the morning was her first, tossing the hammer 54.45m/178-08 to take the lead after the first round of throws. However, her lead would not last long as Cassandra Laios of Case Western launched one 56.34m/184-10 on the second round to take the lead and would win it with that mark.
Kelsey Betthauser gave the Spartans two top 10 finishes in the hammer as she finished 10th with a mark of 50.01m/164-01. Betthauser would miss qualifying for the finals by just two feet.
Colfay Pointer battled in a competitive and close 400m run, crossing the finish line in 46.97 seconds for a seventh place finish, good enough to become an All-American for the first time in his career. Pointer would finish just seven tenths of a second behind the champion who posted a time of 46.27.
In an hour span, Alison Beeman picked up All-American status in two different events. In the 100m dash, Beeman finished in a blazing 11.78 for a fourth place finish. Beeman would return to the track shortly after the 100m dash to run in the 200m dash where she would narrowly miss out on winning a national title, running step for step with the national champion Gabrielle Noland but crossing the finish line just .29 behind her to finish second.
Blaze Murfin wrapped up the day and his historic career with a fifth place finish in the hammer throw after posting a mark of 59.85m/196-04.25. On his first throw of the afternoon, Murfin launched the hammer 58.55m to put himself in fifth place heading into the finals. Murfin would bump up his top mark on his fourth throw, to 59.85m/196-04.25, which would keep him in fifth place until he was jumped by one thrower in the sixth and final round of throws to finish in sixth place. His sixth place finish earned him his third All-American honor in as many days and caps his career as a six time All-American.
