TicketsJune 4, 2010
CINCINNATI - For the 10th consecutive year, the University of Cincinnati track & field program will send one of its athletes to the NCAA Track & Field Championships when sophomore Brian Zimmerman heads to Eugene, Ore., to compete in the javelin on Thursday, June 10, at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon.
Zimmerman makes the west coast trip as UC's first athlete to advance to the NCAA Finals in the javelin.
Coming into the season with a school record throw of 204' in the javelin, Zimmerman has competed in the event six times this season and in each of those six meets, he has recorded a mark higher than 204'.
Zimmerman started the season with a new school-record throw of 226' at the Early Bird Relays, and hovered around the 215' mark for the next three weeks until breaking his own record for the second time with a throw of 227' 10" at the BIG EAST Conference Championships making him a BIG EAST Champion.
Last week at the NCAA Prelims in Greensboro, N.C., Zimmerman needed to finish in the Top 12 in order to advance to the NCAA Finals and did just that with a fifth-place heave of 222'.
The Sarver, Pa., native is making his first appearance at the NCAA Finals and enters the meet as the No. 13 seed in the event. In order to earn All-America status, Zimmerman needs to place in the Top 8 or finish as one of the Top 8 Americans.
Cincinnati will strive for an All-American in consecutive seasons for just the third time in school history when Zimmerman competes in Eugene. The three previous occasions came in 1972-73 when Al Lanier was tabbed an All-American in both the long jump and triple jump, before earning All-America honors in the triple jump the following year in conjunction with Jim Stanley capturing All-America status in the 10,000 meters.
The last time the Bearcats had an All-American in back-to-back seasons was when 2008 Olympic silver medalist David Payne earned the honor in 2003 in the 110 hurdles, before he and current assistant coach Chris Wineberg were named All-Americans in the 110 hurdles and decathlon, respectively, in 2004. Zimmerman looks to follow senior Antione Drakeford, who ran his was to All-America status in the 400m last season.
The javelin is set to take place at 8:15 p.m. EDT on Thursday, June 10.