EUGENE, Ore. — Three UCSB Gauchos earned Honorable Mention All-American awards for their performances at the NCAA Championships Wednesday afternoon.
Albert Hughes placed 20th in the hammer throw, recording the third best throw of his career. Thomas Gore-Schreck placed 18th in the javelin, up four spots from his pre-championship ranking. Senior Jessica Johnson finished seventh in her heat and 20th overall in the 400 meters, recording a time of 53.59.
Hughes delivered a throw of 206-0. He moved up six places from his No. 24 ranking going into the competition.
Hughes concluded a UCSB career where he earned three Big West Silver medals, two NCAA Regional appearances and a No. 3 All-Time ranking in school history. He was also named Big West Scholar Athlete of the Year, SBART Athlete of The Year and was a Golden Eagle Award recipient.
At the UCSB Track and Field award banquet, Hughes, a former walk-on, took home a “Most Valuable” award, a fitting title for one of the finest comeback stories in program history.
Gore-Schreck fired off a throw of 216-11, placing 18th overall. He was ranked 22nd going into the meet.
Gore-Schreck finishes his UCSB career as the No. 1 all-time javelin thrower in school history. He won the Big West title in the event and earned his first appearance to the NCAA Regional.
Johnson, this year’s Big West 400m champion, pushed out of the blocks conservatively, a pre-race strategy and one that ultimately earned her a trip to Hayward Field. She built momentum off the final curve, slightly shifting into gear with 50m to go. But in a field of national class sprinters the late move was costly as she would finish seventh in her heat in 53.59.
