DES MOINES, Ia. -- Aliphine Tuliamuk and Tonya Nero finished in fifth and seventh place, respectively, in the 10,000-meter run as the Shocker duo along with Brett Trudo were in competition at the NCAA Finals on Wednesday, June 8.
Juliet Bottorff of Duke University won the women's 10,000-meter run, clocking in at 34:25.36. Tuliamuk and Nero were in the lead pack, consisting of nine athletes. Tuliamuk was the first Shocker to finish, coming across the line in a time of 34:32.77 while Nero was in at 34:39.56.
The first Shocker in competition during day one of the NCAA Finals was redshirt junior Brett Trudo. Trudo, a Wamego, Kan./Wamego High School product, competed in the javelin where he placed 23rd overall with a top mark of 213' 2". Today's event puts an exclamation point on a stellar season for the former school record holder as Trudo garnered all-conference accolades, finishing second in the Missouri Valley Conference to NCAA javelin champion Tim Glover of Southern Illinois.
Tuliamuk, Tanya Friesen and Josh Crawford are the last Shockers to compete in the NCAA Finals following today's results. After today's competition, Tuliamuk will compete in the 5,000-meter run on Friday, June 10, where she will look to earn a possible all-American accolade.
Friesen begins her quest in the heptathlon on Thursday, June 9, with the multi-event competition finishing on Friday. Crawford will compete in the men's triple jump on Saturday, June 11, with the event starting at 11:05 a.m.