WAVERLY, Iowa --- Moravian College sophomore Mary Kate Duncan finished fifth in the javelin at 44.19 meters (144-11) to earn All-America honors at the 2016 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field National Championships being hosted by Wartburg (Iowa) College.
Duncan earned four team points for the Greyhounds, who finished in a tie for 58th of 85 schools that scored a point, after waiting to compete on the third and final day of the meet, and she is the final Moravian student-athlete to compete for the 2015-16 season. It is the second straight year that Duncan is the last athlete to compete for Moravian after finishing 22nd in the javelin at the NCAA meet a year ago.
Duncan opened the 2016 championship meet with a toss of 35.71 meters (117-2) on her first throw in the second preliminary flight. She then had a distance of 41.13 meters (134-11) on her second attempt to move into the ninth and final qualifying spot for the finals. Duncan had a foul on her final preliminary attempt and had to wait to see if either of the final two competitors behind her would pass her mark. They did not and Duncan, who had the sixth best qualifying distance in the nation throughout the spring, moved onto the finals.
Up as the first competitor in the last three sets of throws, Duncan unleashed a toss of 44.19 meters (144-11), which moved her to fifth and where she would stay for the rest of the afternoon. Duncan would finish the competition with throws of 41.89 meters (137-5) and 40.84 meters (134-0).
"Today was a great day for Mary Kate not just for the obvious reason, but because she showed a lot of toughness to earn her fifth place spot," commented Head Coach Jesse Baumann. "She didn't start out well with a 35 meter throw, and on this stage it's really easy to let it rattle you. She slowly progressed and just got into finals where she threw a really good mark consistent with what she's been doing the last month. She showed she could compete when everything isn't going according to plan, and that's a huge credit to her and her character. Both Mary Kate and Coach Bob Luciano deserve a lot of credit on what has been not only a tremendous meet, but a great sophomore season."
To view the complete results of the 2016 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, visit http://results.deltatiming.com/ncaa/tf/2016-ncaa-d3-outdoor-championships#/2016-05-28.