Borman Wins NCAA Javelin Title

June 9, 2011

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Brittany Borman became Oklahoma's 34th NCAA champion as she claimed the women's collegiate javelin title Thursday at the NCAA Track and Field Championships on the campus of Drake University. The national championship is Oklahoma's first ever in the javelin, men's or women's, and is the first NCAA title for an Oklahoma woman since 1994.

While Borman grabbed 10 team points for the No. 5 Oklahoma women, Mookie Salaam and Candyce McGrone advanced to the finals of their respective divisions in the 200-meter dash.

A day after a disappointing effort in the discus, Borman rebounded with the NCAA title and her third career All-America honor with a personal-best throw of 178-2 (54.32). The personal-best throw came on Borman's fourth attempt after the junior from Festus, Mo., entered the three-attempt finals in third with a prelims' best of 166-4 (50.70). Borman was second after the first flight and entered the finals in third after the second flight completed action.

"I was little nervous about yesterday's performance in the discus, but I tried to come back today with a clear mind and forget all of that," said Borman. "After the prelims, I sat on the side and thought about what I needed to do and talked to Coach (Brian) Blutreich. I was a little tight and after doing that I was more relaxed. I knew that I had to get loose and let it fly and it showed on my fourth throw."

After recording the winning throw on her fourth attempt, Borman was unable to improve on her fifth (167-1/50.94) and sixth (176-2/53.71) attempts and was forced to watch two final throwers make their attempt at the top of the awards podium. After Washington State's Marissa Tschida fouled on her final attempt and Stanford's Eda Karesin failed to improve on her sixth attempt, Borman was able to celebrate OU's first women's NCAA title since Kay Gooch's indoor 3,000-meter title in 1994. Borman is just the third Big 12 athlete to win an NCAA title in the event and the first since Texas A&M's Katy Doyle in 2004.

Borman's throw, the second-longest throw in Oklahoma history, shattered her previous PR of 173-11 (53.00).

Like the 100-meter dash, OU will also have McGrone and Salaam in action in the finals of the 200-meter dash as both advanced out of Thursday's semifinals. McGrone opened up the OU action on the track by clocking a time of 23.00 to finish second in her heat and automatically advance to Saturday's finals. The time was the sixth fastest of the prelims.

Salaam followed McGrone onto Jim Duncan Track and running in the third of three heats, reeled off a time of 20.29 to lead all qualifiers in the event. The time is Salaam's third fastest of the season behind his Big 12 winning 20.05 on May 15 and the 20.27 to win the John Jacobs Invitational on April 16. The junior from Edmond, Okla., native will take his undefeated season in the event into Saturday afternoon's final.

One day after finishing 10th in the men's discus, Oklahoma's K.P. Singh suffered the same fate in the men's hammer throw. The senior finished with a top throw of 212-5 (64.76) and was just two-and-a-half feet from advancing to the nine-man final. Singh's throw on Saturday was his second-best throw of the season behind the 218-10 (66.70) at the Texas Tech Open on April 2. The two-time first team All-American earned his third second team All-America honor of 2011.

Oklahoma Final Results
Men's Hammer Throw: 10. K.P. Singh 212-5 (64.76)
Women's Javelin: 1. Brittany Borman 178-2 (54.32)

Oklahoma Finals Qualifiers
Men's 200-Meter Dash: Mookie Salaam 20.29
Women's 200-Meter Dash: Candyce McGrone 23.00