EUGENE, Ore. - Arizona State University track and field senior Chelsea Cassulo won the national title in the hammer throw on Wednesday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Cassulo trailed for the majority of the final round of throws as her day's best of 67.35m in the opening round was only good enough for third when she came up her sixth and final throw. There, she launched the hammer 69.12m (226 feet, 9 inches) to jump from third to first and win her first NCAA title in the process.
Cassulo had never trailed in any of her primary meets this outdoor season in the hammer throw and, despite being the national leader in the event, needed to dig deep to surpass Illinois State's Brittany Smith's best throw of the day of 68.51m (224-09).
With the victory, Cassulo became ASU first-ever NCAA champion in the women's hammer throw. She set the school record earlier this year with a mark of 70.07m (229-11) at the NCAA West Prelims, a throw that ranks Cassulo as the sixth-best collegiate performer of all time.
Also on Wednesday, Jordan Clarke wrapped up his illustrious Sun Devil career with a runner-up finish in the men’s shot put with a best throw of 20.28m (66-06.50), finishing just three centimeters short of a fifth NCAA title.
Clarke, who has battled injuries all season, posted four throws over 20 meters on the day compared to the one legal throw by champion Ryan Crouser of Texas, but he couldn’t quite get over the hump.
Clarke concludes his career as a four-time NCAA champion and an eight-time All-American in one of the most decorated tenures by a Sun Devil in any sport. Clarke won three Pac-12 titles during his career, becoming the first to do so since John Godina in the 1990s. He also finishes as the school’s second-ranked indoor shot putter in history and the No. 3 outdoor shot putter.
The ASU men’s 4x100-meter relay narrowly missed advancing to Saturday’s final, finishing ninth overall in 39.44. The Sun Devils were the highest-finishing team that did not advance to the final. The squad of Devan Spann, Will Henry, Chris Burrows and Ryan Milus earned second-team All-America honors.
Milus would go on to run a seasonal best in all conditions with a wind-aided 10.14 in the prelims of the 100-meter dash that was good for 11th place overall. He did not advance to the final but did earn second-team All-America honors with the result.
Christabel Nettey took 13th overall in the women’s long jump with a best leap of 6.24m (20-05.75), as she struggled to find the board in the competition. She did not advance to the final but will earn second-team All-America recognition as well.
The Sun Devils return to action Thursday, with the women’s heptathlon getting underway at 1 p.m. and featuring Keia Pinnick. The day also features Anna Jelmini in the women’s discus, Shelby Houlihan in the 1,500-meter prelims, Cameron Taylor in the men’s 110-meter hurdle prelims and the women’s 4x400-meter relay.
