BEREA, Ohio — It wasn't quite what he was hoping for, but Saint Mary's University's
Andrew Brueggen (Holmen, Wis.), and track and field coach Shawn McMahon weren't complaining.
Brueggen, making his second straight NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championships appearance, had his sights set on a Top 8 finish, which would earn the Cardinal junior his second All-American honor of the 2010 season.
Unfortunately, Brueggen's best hammer throw Thursday afternoon wasn't quite enough, as his throw of 54.40 failed to land him a spot in the finals.
“It's a little disappointing — we were hoping Andrew would be able to put together a season-best performance, but it just wasn't meant to be,” said McMahon. “The field was so deep this year, even Andrew's best throw of the season (a school-record 56.66 effort at the Central-Iowa Open) would have barely gotten him in the finals.
“Andrew had a great season and certainly has nothing to hang his head about.”
Cal Lutheran's Eric Flores, won the event, uncorking an NCAA Championships record throw of 66.35 meters, easily outdistancing Claremont-Mudd-Scripps' Taylor Berliant's runner-up toss of 62.22.
