By Tyler Wooten
GoSycamores.com
EUGENE, Ore. – Senior Adarius Washington earned his second-career First-Team All-American honors following a third-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at historic Hayward Field on Friday evening.
Washington, an Indianapolis native, ran 13.68 into a headwind for third place and six meet points for the Sycamore men. Oregon football star Devon Allen – who beat out ISU Olympian Greggmar Swift for the 2014 title – won at 13.50 seconds, while Kentucky's Nick Anderson edged Washington out for second at 13.67 seconds.
“Out of the box it was fine,” Washington said of the beginning to the race. “They said we had a 0.9 headwind, but it was way stronger than that. Through the race everybody was bumping hurdles, it was pretty close.”
“I just ran out of space,” Washington continued. “If I had some extra hurdles I probably would have caught up to (Allen), but it is what it is.”
Today's performance caps an extraordinary career for Washington, who leaves Indiana State with two top-five national finishes to his name (he finished fifth in the indoor 60-meter hurdles during the 2015 season). Only four men have ever finished higher at the outdoor national meet: 1990 hurdles champion Chris Lancaster, 2000 hurdles runner-up Aubrey Herring, 1999 long jump runner-up Frankie Young and 1994 high jump runner-up Steve Smith.
“I would have preferred to go out on top, but my season isn't over so hopefully I can still get that school record,” Washington said.
That record, 13.35 by Greggmar Swift in the 2014 NCAA hurdles finals where he finished fourth, could come down in any competitions he is in up until the U.S. Olympic Trials – which, he has the qualifying standard for. Washington ran 13.40 at the Drake Relays earlier this year, which ranks third behind Swift and Herring (13.36), and ahead of NCAA champion Chris Lancaster (13.45).
The Olympic Trials will be held right here at Hayward Field from July 1-10.
“I just want to go out and compete, I think that's the best way to go in,” Washington concluded. “Expectations usually kill dreams.”
For the latest information on the Sycamore Track and Field team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.
