Hammer Throw Results | Milica Kulidzan Competes at the NCAA Nationals
DES MOINES, Iowa - Senior thrower Ryan McCullough earned second-team All-America honors with a 13th place finish in the men's hammer throw at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field National Championships at Drake University on Friday.
The Cadillac senior launched a mark of 206-02 to become the first CMU All-American in the hammer throw.
"It was great to see Ryan come out here with the mindset of 'I know I belong here, and I'm going to compete at the highest level,'" director of track and field Willie Randolph said. "He gave everything he had and did a great job. We're so proud of everything he's done. It's a great day and a great time for CMU track and field."
McCullough opened strong with his best mark of 206-02. He followed that up with a mark of 203-09, and finished with 200-08.
The NCAA Nationals performance is the finishing touch on a historic senior season for McCullough. Just under a month ago he not only won the Mid-American Conference championship in the hammer throw with a mark of 210-07, he was named the Outstanding Field Performer of the meet and broke his own school record. He had also set the school record in the season-opener at the LSU Relays with a mark of 204-02.
He becomes the fourth Central Michigan thrower to earn All-America honors in either the indoor or outdoor season since 2009, and the third during the outdoor season in the past four years.
He joins fellow senior thrower Kevin Mays as the All-Americans for the Chippewas this season. Mays earned second-team honors in the weight throw during the indoor season.
"This tradition means a great deal to our program as far as consistent growth," Randolph said. "We have great support not only from our administration, and also great focus from our coaching staff that works together to get the student-athletes ready to go when it really counts at meets like this."
He also becomes the first individual to both win the MAC Outstanding Performer and earn All-America honors since Jeff Powers in 2007, and is just the third overall with Bruno Pauletto in 1978.
Alexander Ziegler of Virginia Tech won with a collegiate-best mark of 248-07.
