EUGENE, Ore. ? In the best performance of his three-year career, Idaho junior thrower James Rogan earned a spot at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the men's hammer throw on Saturday to cap off a solid day for the Vandals.
Rogan's third-place toss of 212-10 (64.87m) is a lifetime best by more than a foot, as his previous long throw was 211-8. By virtue of his top-five finish, he is guaranteed a spot at the NCAA Championships in two weeks.
Rogan, and Eagle, Idaho, native, credited a greater focus on technique for his hammer success this season, but almost didn't even make it to the finals after a foul and a short throw on his first two attempts.
“The prelims were pretty nerve-wracking, because I didn't get a good enough throw until my third attempt,” Rogan said. “It always seems like Russ (Winger) or Marcus (Mattox) goes, so it's pretty exciting for me to go.”
For sophomore Paul Dittmer, the waiting game has begun. The German native entered the competition ranked sixth and finished sixth, as he ran a career-best 13.85 in the men's 110m hurdles.
“He struggled a bit at the start and kind of got caught sitting in the blocks, but after that, he ran a great race,” Idaho co-head coach Wayne Phipps said. “I looked through all the lists from the other regions and he still looks like he should be in pretty good shape (to get the NCAA at-large bid).”
Dittmer and fellow sophomore Eugenio Mannucci, who finished seventh in the shot put on Friday, are both in good positions to earn at-large bids to the national meet, but they must wait until Monday afternoon to learn of their fate.
In the men's pole vault, true freshman Jeremy Klas was Idaho's top performer, as he went over a personal-best height of 16-7.25 (5.06m) and tied for 21st. The previous best for the Moscow native was 16-6.75 (5.05m). Teammates Mike Carpenter and Lucas Pope were unable to get into rhythm early and no-heighted at the opening height of 16-1.25 (4.91m).
Three Idaho seniors ended their careers in the hammer throw, as Matt Wauters took 13th with a throw of 193-6, Evan Ruud took 19th at 189-6 and Jake Boling was 20th at 187-11. All three have left their stamps on the Vandal throws program, as Wauters leaves with the indoor weight throw record and the third-best hammer throw, Ruud finishes his career ranked sixth in the hammer and Boling ends up ninth all-time in the event.
Junior Beau Whitney threw the discus 154-3 (47.02m) and finished 14th in the event to round out Idaho's competitors on the day.
Rogan becomes the third Vandal this year to make a first-time trip to the NCAA Championships. During the indoor season, Mykael Bothum and K.C. Dahlgren represented the Idaho women's team in the shot put and pole vault, respectively, and both earned All-America accolades. Neither Dittmer nor Mannucci have qualified for the NCAA meet in their careers.
Idaho has had a men's thrower present at the NCAA Championships for the last five seasons and 13 of the last 14 years overall.
“What I'm proud of is the fact that we're getting new kids there,” Idaho throws coach Julie Taylor said. “I'm excited about how these kids have done and I'm very proud of the fact that we kept that streak going.”
The NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships run June 10-13 at Fayetteville, Ark.
