EUGENE, Ore. – The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos Track & Field team had one representative at the NCAA Track & Field National Championships at Hayward Field this week. Senior multis expert Brad Thomas put on the performance of a lifetime over the past two days, where he shined in the Men's Decathlon to earn All-American honors, placing second overall with a final score of 7888.
HOW IT HAPPENED
To start the first day of events, Thomas took on the 100m dash, where he recorded a time of 10.92. The last four competitions that the senior had on his plate for the day saw him posting placements of seventh or better. In the long jump, Thomas kicked it up a notch in the long jump, where he delivered a distance of 7.16m to jump from 13th place to 6th place overall. He continued to climb the ladder in the shot put, as he gathered sixth with a throw of 14.44m to inch up a spot in the total rankings. The fourth event was the high jump and Thomas was able to eclipse the two-meter mark with a leap of 2.01m to take seventh in the event and move into fourth place. The 400m was where Thomas was able to move into medal-clinching territory, as he took the bronze with a time of 48.32 to cap off a strong day one.
Thursday was where Thomas solidified his spot as an All-American decathlete in wild fashion. He started the day off in the 110m hurdles with a time of 15.65. The discus was next, and Thomas was able to secure a fifth place position in the event with a 42.86m throw. The multis specialist took on the pole vault and recorded a jump of 4.01m, where he found himself sitting in 12th place overall with two events remaining, the javelin and 1500m.
The javelin saw Thomas gain some of the momentum he had brewing at the end of the first day, as he threw for a staggering 63.47m to take second in the event and move up eight spots to claim fourth before the final event. In order to earn a podium spot, Thomas needed to do something special and that is what he did.
In the 1500m, Thomas defied all odds by recording his only personal record on the week to take third place in the competition, timing in at a blazing 4:23.24. The performance was just enough to give Thomas a second-place finish by 29 points and is the first All-American athlete to wear a Gaucho uniform since 2012.
RESULTS
7888 points, 2nd place
100 Meters - 10.92, 13th
Long Jump - 7.16m, 5th
Shot Put - 14.44m, 6th
High Jump - 2.01m, 7th
400 Meters - 48.32, 3rd
110 Meter Hurdles - 15.65, 18th
Discus - 42.86, 5th
Pole Vault - 4.01m, 19th
Javelin - 63.47m, 2nd
1500 Meters - 4:23.24, 3rd - PR
UP NEXT
After an astonishing finish to the UC Santa Barbara Track & Field season, the Gauchos now direct their attention towards preparing for the offseason.
