TRACK AND FIELD: Fillinich third, heads to his third straight NCAA national meet |
 COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Northwestern State All-American javelin thrower Cody Fillinich took third place Saturday at the NCAA Mid-East Regionals as three Southland Conference standouts went 1-2-3 in the toughest regional javelin competition in the country. In a storm-delayed competition, affecting the runway, none of the throwers measured up to their season's best in a regional field including six of the nation's eight top collegiate throws. But the top five finishers automatically qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in two weeks in Sacramento. McNeese freshman Chris Hill won the regional title with a 236-2 mark, just ahead of Southeastern Louisiana's Curtis Moss (235-11). Fillinich was third at 231-8. He beat Hill and Moss three weeks earlier to win the SLC javelin crown. LSU's Chad Radgowski, the national leader, was fourth at 228-4 and LSU's Preston Chatham took fifth (224-7) to round out the automatic qualifiers for the national meet. NSU sophomore Samuel Norton reached the nine-man finals and was ninth with a 202-1 mark, seven feet behind his season's best. "Cody's headed for nationals and has a chance to be an All-American for the third straight year, and that's not something we take for granted ever," said veteran NSU head coach Leon Johnson. "We are excited about that. This was a great field and unfortunately the weather was a factor but Cody, and Samuel, rose to the challenge. We are real proud of Samuel finishing ninth in this region." |