June 11, 2009
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - San Diego State senior Karoline Koehler became the school's first long jump All-American on Thursday afternoon at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. With her effort, Koehler collected her third All-America honor of her career and second of 2009 after earning All-America status in the triple jump during the indoor season.
Koehler, SDSU's 42nd All-American, finished the competition with a long jump that covered 21-05.50, the same distance as Florida State's Kimberly Williams and Oregon's Jamesha Youngblood. Koehler, however, finished in second place, while Williams was crowned the champion and Youngblood awarded third based on the trio's second-best leap.
The Mountain West Conference champion was the event's leader after three jumps before being forced to pass on her final three attempts after injuring her knee on her third try. Williams, meanwhile, equaled Koehler's best jump on her third attempt and Youngblood matched the distance on her fifth leap.
With the aforementioned trio owning the 14-person field's top mark, the deciding factor came down to the threesome's next best effort. With that in mind, Williams took the title as a result of her 20-10.00 jump on her last attempt. Koehler's second-best leap was 20-07.00 on her opening jump and Youngblood's was 20-01.75 on her second try.
Koehler will look to shake off her injury and bounce back on Friday as she is scheduled to compete in the qualifying round of the triple jump, which is set for 3 p.m. CT/1 p.m. PT at McDonnell Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas.
NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
McDonnell Field (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Top 5 and SDSU Only
Long Jump Finals
1. Kimberly Williams (Florida State) - 21-05.50
2. Karoline Koehler (San Diego State) - 21-05.50
3. Jamesha Youngblood (Oregon) - 21-05.50
4. Rhonda Watkins (UCLA) - 21-05.25
5. Deana Carson (Baylor) - 21-04.75
Team Standings (3 events scored)
Top 5 of 21 and SDSU only
1. Florida - 13 points
2. Florida State - 12
3. Providence - 10
4. San Diego State - 8
4. Arizona State - 8
4. Oregon - 8
4. Brigham Young - 8