Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Kern, Hazel earn All-American Honors on Day One of NCAA Championships
03/10/2017 | 10:04:00 | Track and Field
Southern Illinois junior Jared Kern earned first-team All-America honors while sophomore Warren Hazel claimed second-team recognition Friday night on the opening day of the 2017 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Kern took home first-team All-America honors after finishing fourth in the shot put. The junior transfer opened with a toss of 63'-0" (19.20m) to advance to the finals, and improved to 64'-10.50" (19.77m) on his fifth attempt.Â
Mostafa Hassan of Colorado State won the NCAA title with a throw of 69'-05.25" (21.27m), besting the rest of the field by more than four feet.
Kern's fourth place showing marks the best finish by a Saluki shot putter indoors since John Marks placed second in the event at the 1979 competition.
The Machesney Park, Ill. native earned Southern's 79th indoor All-America honors, and the 161st overall in the program's rich history of success on the national stage.
Hazel finished 12th in the 400m to earn second-team All-America distinction. The Old Roads, St. Kitts native clocked a time of 46.72, and missed advancing to the finals by .13 seconds.Â
He entered the meet ranked 15th in the NCAA, and led his heat for much of the race, but was passed on the final straight away by eventual first-team All-Americans Steven Gayle of Alabama and Jermaine Griffith of Rutgers. Fred Kerley of Texas A&M won the event with a time of 45.10.
Through five events, SIU is tied for 16th place with five points. Kyle Landon can add to SIU's point total tomorrow when he attempts to claim his fifth All-American honors in the high jump beginning at 3:30 p.m.
