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Two Win All-American Status at Track & Field Nationals
Two Occidental College student-athletes, including the first woman to hold school records in all four throwing events, won All-American status at the NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships at Ohio Wesleyan in Delaware, Ohio on May 26-28.
Thrower Kelly Young, a senior critical theory and social justice major from San Bruno, finished her collegiate career as a two-time 2011 All-American in the hammer throw and shot put, while Jonathan Padron, a freshman theater major from Kapolei, Hawaii, sprinted his way to All-American status in the 100 meter dash.
Making her second appearance at the nationals for Oxy, Young finished eighth in the hammer throw with a toss of 172'10" (52.68m), more than seven feet farther than her winning toss in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships. The SCIAC Female Track & Field Athlete of the Year also finished eighth in the shot put with a mark of 44'9¾" (13.66m).
Padron ran a 10.64 in his 100 meter qualifying heat, fast enough to enter the finals as the No. 1 seed. A strong headwind put all runners at a disadvantage in the final, but Padron powered through, running a 10.95 and finishing fourth, just five-hundredths of a second off the winning time.
Eric Kleinsasser, a junior geology major from Glendale who has made three consecutive appearances at the cross country nationals, competed in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meter runs in his first appearance at the track & field nationals. Seeded 11th in the 10,000 meters, that's where finished with a time of 31:00:25, but climbed two spots above his seeding in the 5,000 to finish 16th with a time of 15:22:34.