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Najem comes up short in NCAA 800-meter heat
MARIETTA, OHIO 5/22/09 - Keene State senior Peter Najem (Derry, N.H.) came up short in his bid to qualify for the finals in the 800-meter race at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Marietta College in Ohio on Friday.
Najem, who earned All-America in the event at the indoor championships, finished third in his heat with a time of 1:52.14. The top two finishes in each heat plus the runners with the two fastest remaining times qualify for Saturday's finals.
KSC Coach Peter Thomas said Najem fell behind but rallied with a strong kick. "He moved up from sixth to third," he said. "If Peter had another 20 years, he might have caught the leader."
Despite missing the finals, Najem, who was the 17th and last qualifier to earn an NCAA berth in the event, posted the second fastest time of his career. "He's obviously disappointed, "said Thomas. "He wanted to complete his career with another All-America honor."
Keene State had mixed results at the national meet. While Bryan Kolacz was able to win a national championship in the hammer, Dan Colina and Samantha Hirsh were unable to reach the finals in the javelin competition.
