Hale Grabs Fifth-Place In NCAA Javelin Final

Saturday, June 14

Eugene, OR

All Day

University of Washington

NCAA Championships - Finals

Photo by: Washington Athletics

June 14, 2014 | Track & Field

By: Washington Athletics

EUGENE, Ore. – One throw from seeing his season end in disappointment, Tacoma native Quinn Hale fired himself up and fired the javelin 232-feet, 4-inches, jumping up the leaderboard and onto the podium at the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the first time in his career. The junior finished fifth today on the final day of the meet at Hayward Field, becoming the highest-placing Husky at nationals this year. Sophomore teammate Carson Fuller placed 20^th in the same field.

The fifth-place finish for Hale earned him four points for the Husky men's team, added to the one from Derrick Daigre on Friday to give the Dawgs five points for the week and a tie for 44^th-place in the team standings. Hale becomes the third Husky javelin thrower to reach the podium in the last five years, joining three-time scorer Kyle Nielsen and one-time scorer Joe Zimmerman. His fifth-place finish is the best since Nielsen and Zimmerman finished third and fourth, respectively, in 2010.

Throwing into a frequently stiff headwind, most of the javelin marks were well short of the season-bests for the field. As the last thrower in the field of 24, Hale had the advantage of knowing the marks that stood in front of him. On his first two attempts, Hale threw 208-3 and 206-0, struggling to line one up. But going into his last attempt, he knew a spot in the final was well within his ability. Hale took an extra moment to look down and gather himself, and then came down the runway to shoot the javelin arcing up and touching down past the 70-meter mark, good for 232-feet, 4-inches, moving him from 18^th-place to 5^th-place and into the final.

Hale had three more attempts to try to move up the leaderboard, but the wind continued to increase, and improvements were few in the last three rounds. Hale went 224-2 on his fourth attempt, but that was as good as it would get form there. Nobody would move ahead of Hale, as the Bellarmine Prep grad finished up fifth.

“Those first two throws felt not too good, a little weak, I just wasn't getting my right side into it,” said Hale. “It was frustrating, and I was just thinking going into my third that I'm not going to go to nationals and spoil this opportunity, and ruin a season that has been so good to me by not making finals and not being an All-American. So it's a dream come true, it's what I set out to do this season and I accomplished it, so it feels really good.”

Fuller, the sophomore from Spokane, was the first thrower up in the second flight, and led off with a toss of 205-1. But that proved to be his best of his three attempts, 20-feet shorter than his season-best. He wound up 20^th overall and earned All-America honorable mention for the second straight season.

2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships
June 14, 2014 – Day 4 of 4
Eugene, Ore. – Hayward Field

Husky Men's Results

Javelin (Final): 5. Quinn Hale, 232-4 (First Team All-American); 20. Carson Fuller, 205-1 (All-America honorable mention).

First Team All-Americans

Derrick Daigre, 800m

Quinn Hale, Javelin

Second Team All-Americans

Lindsay Flanagan, 10000m

Katie Flood, 1500m

Megan Goethals, 10000m

Liberty Miller, 3000m Steeplechase

Diamara Planell Cruz, Pole Vault