FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Junior thrower Adonson Shallow held his ground on Saturday, claiming 11th place in the discus to give the Southeastern Louisiana University men's track and field team its second top-20 finisher in three days at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships at the University of Arkansas.
Shallow, who posted the 11th-best throw in Thursday's preliminary round, recorded a toss of 177-04 (54.06 m) in his final attempt on Saturday. Shallow's throw finished just 1 ft. 11 in. (0.58 m) shy of a top ten finish behind 2008 national discus champion Rashaud Scott of Kentucky.
"Adonson didn't throw bad," head coach Sean Brady said. "He actually threw quite well. He came in with the 15th best mark in the country and he finished with the 11th best mark in the country. So he's not far off from being able to score. It would have taken a career record throw from him to really be in contention. So now he knows what he needs to do to really do some damage next year."
Shallow's 11th-place finish came two days after classmate Cory Roberts finished 19th in the decathlon. Despite missing out on a the top eight finishes necessary to score at the national meet, the Lions will have a pair of top-20 national finishers returning to next season's squad.
"You have to be able to put things together at the right time," Brady said. "Bottom line is we came up just a bit short, but our kids competed as hard as they could and represented the university well. They proved that they belong with and that they can compete with some of the best athletes in the country. They're going to be some of the top returners in the nation next year. They know what they need to do to get back here next year, and they're not going to be intimidated by their surroundings at all. We're proud of the way they competed, and we're looking forward to coming back again next year with them and, hopefully, a few more kids."