The top eight finishers Friday, and the top eight American born finishers, earn All-America recognition. Fillinich, from Golden Meadow-South Lafourche, was the 12th and final qualifier Wednesday in a field of 24 throwers, while Demon seniors Shane Curlee and Loren Martin did not advance.
Competing in rain with a slight breeze and temperatures in the 50s, distances were down throughout the field. Fillinich posted a 209-3 mark, nearly nine feet behind his season-best 218-0, but within three feet of ninth in the preliminaries.
Martin, from Rosepine, finished 17th Wednesday with a 194-11 throw, more than 15 feet behind his season's best. Curlee, from Iowa, La., was 21st with a 189-2 mark, 26 feet behind the throw which earned him a fourth place two weeks ago at the NCAA Mideast Regionals. It was the first national meet for all three Northwestern competitors, the most entries from any school in the nation in the event.
"The weather was tough for everybody, and our guys had a good case of the nerves, as you would expect in their first national meet," said Demon assistant coach Mike Heimerman. "We're excited about Cody advancing to the finals where he has a real chance to win All-America. There's a bottleneck in the standings from places 9-12 with only three feet difference so anything could happen Friday evening."
Heimerman said Fillinich will adjust his approach for Friday's 8 p.m. PDT finals at Cal State-Sacramento.
"We'll move him back 3-4 feet for the start of his approach. He wasn't unleashing it today and I think he was a little worried about fouling, so moving him back should get him more aggressive and give him a better chance to get a really good mark and move up in the standings," said Heimerman.
For seniors Curlee and Martin, reaching the national meet was a crowning achievement for their careers, he said.
"To get to this stage is outstanding, and to finish in the top two-dozen athletes in your event around the nation in Division I is something they should be proud about for the rest of their lives," he said. "These are two guys who made the most of their ability and although they didn't have their best stuff today, they had to be pretty good to get here."
This marks the seventh time in eight years that Northwestern has had either a male or a female javelin thrower reach the NCAA Outdoor Championships. All of the athletes have been Louisiana prep products with three — Regina Roe, Latrell Frederick and Samantha Ford — earning All-America honors by virtue of their performances at the national meet.