ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. –
Nick Jones of Abilene Christian University turned in the first 19-meter throw of his shot put career and improved his best to 62 feet, 5 inches, but he missed by two places advancing to the final at the U.S. national indoor track and field championships here Sunday.
Jones unleashed a throw of 19.02 meters (62-5) in the second round and finished third in his flight, but he did not make the eight-man final. He was ranked 24th on the 2012 U.S. performance list in the shot put, but his 62-5 was good for 10th place here Sunday on the final day at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Despite Jones' improvement, he remains third on the 2012 NCAA Division II qualifiers list in the shot put and second on the ACU all-time career list behind Ahmed Shata, who threw a Wildcat record 63-10.25 to win the Division II title in 1986 in Los Angeles, Calif., for coach Don W. Hood.
Jones will compete in the shot put at the NCAA Division II indoor national meet March 9-10 in Mankato, Minn., for coach Roosevelt Lofton's Wildcats, who are looking to repeat their 2011 national team titles both indoor and outdoor.
Jones' previous best was 62-0.25 (18.90 meters) from last year with a 61-5 (18.72) this year. He was one of only 10 men to throw at least 19 meters here Sunday.
“It was really good,” Jones, Wildcat senior from Amarillo Tascosa, said of his competition Sunday. “Just getting a chance to compete between conference and national was a good deal for me. My goal here was to get a PR (personal record), and I did that.”
Jones, a three-time NCAA Division II champion in the discus throw, opened with 58-11.25 here Sunday. After his PR throw in the second round, he had a foul throw in the third round to end his day.
In a field that featured the best four throwers in the world this year, Jones was the first thrower to start Sunday's event. Reese Hoffa of the New York Athletic Club was Sunday's winner, throwing 71-4.25 in the fifth round to edge Ryan Whiting (70-10.5) and Christian Cantwell (70-7.75).
In addition to crowning a national champion in each event, the U.S. meet here was also a selection meet for the national team for the IAAF World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, March 9-11.
Officials of USA Track and Field, the City of Albuquerque, and the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau also announced that the U.S. indoor meet will return here for two additonal years in 2013 and 2014 after the original three-year contract expired in 2012.
At the 2012 NCAA Division II national outdoor meet May 24-26 in Pueblo, Colo., Jones could become the first four-time champion in the discus, and he also hopes to compete in the discus at the U.S. Olympic trials June 22-25 and June 28-July 1 in Eugene, Ore.
“I want to get that fourth national championship,” he said. “And I'm thinking about the trials. I would like to have a really good meet there.
“I haven't focused on it (discus) a whole lot yet because of the indoor season and the weather,” he continued. “With the workouts I've been doing, I've felt really fresh and explosive.”
A former Wildcat football letterman, Jones said he usually throws better in meets than in practice. “I've had some of my best practice throws ever,” he added.
