AUSTIN, Texas -- Three Thunderbirds were in action at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships on Wednesday afternoon.
Skyler Porcaro earned Second Team All-American status in men's javelin with a throw of 218' 9". That mark put the senior in 16th place amongst the best the NCAA has to offer, sending him off on the right note.
"It was a great way for him to finish out his career here at Southern Utah, not only as a great athlete but an outstanding student as well," SUU head coach Eric Houle said. "He was pivotal in us winning that conference title this past Spring, and the kind of attitude guys like him have and the effort they put forth is critical. To come here and be one  of the best of the best in the country, and earn the title of all-american, is a nice way to go out.
Kasey Knevelbaard started off the day for the Thunderbirds by advancing to finals in the men's 1,500-meter with a time of 3:46.47. That time put him third in his heat, which automatically qualified him to extend his season on Friday. Knevelbaard finished with the 12th best time in the field overall after both heats were scored. Â Â
"The whole objective in these trials is see how slow you can run and still get in without burning through a lot of energy," Houle said. "Pretty much it went as planned. He worked his way up in the last lap and it worked out well for him."
George Espino's career came to a close on Wednesday in the semifinals of the men's 800-meter, finishing in 19th place with a time of 1:51.14. For Espino, that gave him Honorable Mention status on the 2019 All-American Team. Â
"He was so consistent at high level meets, and his ability to run at a level that propelled the team forward was huge," Houle said. "He was someone we could always count on to get those points in important meats, and to get to this stage isn't something that happens very often."
No Thunderbirds will be in contention on Thursday, but Knevelbaard and Frank Harris III (Men's High Jump) will be in action on Friday, followed by Angie Nickerson (Women's 5,000-Meter) on Saturday.
The meet will be televised a streamed on the ESPN Family of Networks. The following is a link to all broadcast information: https://on.ncaa.com/2rUswb6
A link to live results is available on www.suutbirds.com and can also be found at the following link: https://bit.ly/315HL0P
Stay current on the Thunderbird track and field programs by following @SUUTFXC on Twitter and Instagram and like the Southern Utah Track and XC page on Facebook.
Head to www.suutbirds.com for all Thunderbird athletics news.
