| Junior Devon Bond posted the second-best national finish in program history on Wednesday. |
EUGENE, Ore. — Junior Devon Bond became the sixth All-American in UTSA men’s track & field history on Wednesday evening when he placed fifth in the triple jump with his fourth school record of the season.
Bond, who entered the national meet with the ninth-best measurement in the country, skipped to a wind-aided 53-1 ¾ (16.20m) in his second of six attempts and posted the second-highest finish by a Roadrunner at a national meet in the program’s 29-year history, behind only three-time All-American Leonard Byrd‘s third-place performance in the 400 meters in 1996. The jump marked the fourth time this season that he established a new school record and it topped his previous best by three inches. Florida’s Christian Taylor won the event with his leap of 56-1 (17.09m).
“This was a great way to go out in my last competition of the season,” Bond said. “I obviously wanted to finish higher, but I am happy to earn All-America honors. It was a goal of mine to get to this point, but it doesn’t end here. I feel like I’m just getting started. I’ve only been triple jumping for a couple years and I know I haven’t reached my full potential.
“My first jump was really bad,” he said. “It brought back memories from the indoor meet and we all know how that went (15th place), so I told myself, ‘I can’t let this happen again.’ I know I’m better than that. I knew something was wrong, so I made sure I fixed it. I just went back out and did what I’m used to doing.”
"I'm so proud of the way Devon competed tonight," head coach Aaron Fox said. "It started out a little rough, but he came right back and showed that he can compete with the best triple jumpers in the country. For him to get the second-highest finish in school history shows you what kind of competitor he is. I'm really looking forward to having him back next season and seeing what he can accomplish."
Meanwhile, senior Teddy Williams finished in a ninth-place tie in the 100 meters semifinals with his windy time of 10.32 and he missed qualifying for Friday’s final by just one spot. Despite not advancing, the Tyler native became the first four-time All-American in program annals because two non-United States citizens — Texas A&M’s Gerald Phiri (Zambia) and Kentucky’s Rondel Sorrillo (Trinidad & Tobago) — will race in the final.
“Nothing really happened, I just ran a bad race” Williams said. “I ran my worst race of the year at the worst time. It’s disappointing, but I have to keep my head up because it marks the beginning of a new stage in my career. Bad races happen, but you have to know how to bounce back from them and handle adversity.”
"This isn't the way that Teddy wanted to end his career, but the consolation is that he will become the first four-time All-American in school history," Fox said. "He definitely has left his mark on our program and he did some amazing things in his four seasons as a Roadrunner. I've really enjoyed coaching him and wish him nothing but the best in the future."
The four-day meet continues on Thursday, but UTSA will not be back in action until the following evening when freshman Keith Benford competes in the high jump at 5:30 p.m. (CT).
Teddy
Williams
Devon
BondKeith
Benford
Rolling with the Roadrunners
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Wednesday-Saturday, June 9-12 , 2010
Senior All-American Teddy Williams, junior Devon Bond and freshman Keith Benford are looking toput a successful finishing touch on their outdoor seasons this week when they compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The four-day meet is underway at historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon and it runs until 2 p.m. (CT) on Saturday.
Williams is scheduled to run in the 100-meter dash preliminary heats at 7:45 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday with the final slated for 7:25 p.m. (CT) two nights later. Bond, meanwhile, will compete in the triple jump at 6 p.m. (CT) on the opening day, and Benford will high jump at 5:30 p.m. (CT) on Friday.
UTSA fans will be able to get a behind-the-scenes look at the trio's quest for All-America honors, as goUTSA.com will give updates of their preparations leading to their respective event competition.
Wednesday, June 9 — 3 p.m. (PT)
We arrived to historic Hayward Field about an hour ago for rest of the afternoon/evening. Known as "Track Town USA," this is without a doubt the top outdoor facility in the country and I cannot for the life of me understand why it has not hosted the NCAA Championships in nine years. I'm sure some of it has to do with hosting the United States Olympic Trials two summers ago, but I am of the belief that this should be the permanent home of the national meet.
Teddy and Devon have just been relaxing for the last hour.
Devon will be the last jumper in the field of 24, which is arguably the best spot to be in because everything takes place in front of you. He is going to begin his warmup shortly. With the nation's ninth-best jump entering the meet, he should vie for All-America honors if he brings his A game to the runway.
Teddy has a little more of a wait, but he continues to look focused and relaxed. A story in today's The Register-Guard (local newspaper) listed the predicted order of finish in the 100 meters and, remarkably, Teddy wasn't even mentioned. I guess they didn't get the memo that he owns the nation's fastest time entering the meet. Needless to say, Teddy will be using that as motivation tonight and Friday.
The weather has been a mix of showers and sunshine since we arrived, but the forecast continues to say that things will be clear within the hour. Let's hope so, because I'd hate to see weather get in the way of great competition.
Wednesday, June 9 — noon (PT)
Just left Hayward following a quick shake out for the guys. The weather is a little bit cooler than what it's been the previous two days and rain is in the forecast for most of the afternoon, but it decreases as we get closer to the start of Devon's and Teddy's events. We did a grab-and-go lunch of Subway, since the guy's won't want to be bogged down by food when they compete. Back to the hotel for about 90 minutes of R&R before we get out to the track for this evening's festivities.
Wednesday, June 9 — 10 a.m. (PT)
It's been a busy 48 hours, as the crew of Teddy, Devon, Keith, head coach Aaron Fox, assistant coach David Burnett, associate sports information director Brian Hernandez and athletic training intern Aya Takaoka arrived in Eugene on Monday evening following their arrival in Portland, which is situated two hours to the north along I-5. The group headed out to Hayward Field on Tuesday morning for a one-hour shake out and the remainder of the day was spent getting acclimated to our new time zone and watching Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
This morning began with breakfast at Denny's and this meal was important for both Teddy (100 meters) and Devon (triple jump), as the pair is scheduled to compete later today. Since both will be hitting the track, this was to be their last "big' meal and Teddy went with a omelet, while Devon ate a Grand Slamwich. Keith, meanwhile, went with a traditional Grand Slam, but he still has two more days before competing.