June 12, 2009
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - San Diego State senior Karoline Koehler returned to the track on Friday after finishing second in the long jump a day earlier and advanced to the finals of the triple jump at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at McDonnell Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas.
Koehler, who was one of 27 athletes looking to secure to a spot in Saturday's finals, finished the preliminary round in 10th place with a leap of 43-01.50. The top 12 student-athletes earned a spot in the championship round.
What Koehler accomplished in the triple jump was nothing short of amazing after injuring her take-off knee on Thursday during the finals of the long jump. The injury occurred on her third attempt and the Mountain West Conference long and triple jump champion was in line to win the competition until the last round of jumps. With three athletes, which includes Koehler, leaping the same 21-05.50, the crown came down to the trio's second-best jump and it went to Florida State's Kimberly Williams, who won the competition on her final attempt.
The Aztecs currently have eight team points and resided in a tie for sixth place following the prelims of the triple jump with a host of finals slated for late Friday. SDSU's spot in the team standings will not be decided until after the 5,000-meter run, which is slated for 8:15 p.m. CT/6:15 p.m. PT.
Koehler will look to win the triple jump, earn her third All-America honor of 2009 and become San Diego State's first NCAA champion since 1985 beginning at noon CT/10 a.m. PT. CBS Sports will begin its coverage of the NCAA Championships at 10 a.m. PT.
NCAA Championships
McDonnell Field (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Triple Jump Preliminaries (top 5 of 27 and SDSU only; top 12 advance to finals)
1. Sarah Nambawa (Middle Tennessee State) - 45-03.00
2. Kimberly Williams (Florida State) - 44-11.75
3. Blessing Okagbare (UTEP) - 44-06.75
4. Yasmine Regis (Texas A&M) - 44-01.25
5. Tahari James (Boston) - 43-09.25
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10. Karoline Koehler (San Diego State) - 43-01.50