Fugett is king of the circle, wins second national title in shot put; Beebe breaks school record

BEREA, Ohio - In the second day of NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships action on Friday afternoon, senior thrower Brandon Fugett (Randallstown, Md.) successfully defended his outdoor national title in the men's shot put.

And he did so in convincing fashion. With a Division III season-best throw of 58' 9.25", Fugett bested the second-place performer by well over a foot. "Following his disappointment with a fifth-place finish in indoor, he worked quite hard to get to this point in outdoor," said Head Coach Jim Jones of Fugett's finish in the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. "I'm very proud of his accomplishments this season."

Fugett sat in second place going into the final round. In that final round, which consists of just three throws, a competitor bumped him to third place. For a split second, it seemed as if the disappointment of the indoor season would carry over into the outdoor season and Fugett would take home the bronze. But he wanted gold.

"He just took that last throw and he launched it," said Jones. "After he threw it, he stepped out of the circle and started walking towards me. He knew it was a big throw - I knew it was a big throw." In the final throw of his collegiate career, Fugett's toss of 58' 9.25" marked his best of the day, the season's best in Division III and the throw that would give him his second individual national title.

Fellow senior Cory Beebe (Medina, Ohio) is also one step closer to winning his second national title as his 400-meter hurdles time of 52.13 seconds advanced him to the championship heat. He also qualified for the finals in the 110-meter hurdles as he posted a Division III season's best time of 14.27 seconds, breaking a school record which had stood for more than a quarter of a century. Senior sprinter Delannie Spriggs (Owings, Md.) also advanced to the finals in two events, posting a 100-meter dash time of 10.62 seconds and a 200-meter dash time of 21.29 seconds. Listed below are the times for tomorrow's championship heats.

Saturday, May 29:

Cory Beebe, 110-meter hurdles - 1:55 p.m.

Delannie Spriggs, 100-meter dash - 2:40 p.m.

Cory Beebe, 400-meter hurdles - 3:25 p.m.

Delannie Spriggs, 200-meter dash - 3:45 p.m.
 

Salisbury is also in contention for a national team title. Last year, Fugett, Beebe and Spriggs took home fourth place overall though they were one of the smallest contingents to travel to the championships.