Friday, June 8
Eugene, Ore.
All Day
Mississippi State
vs
NCAA Outdoor Championships (O)
Marco Arop broke the MSU freshman record in the 800m for the third time this season, and the Bulldogs posted their second-highest score ever.
Arop’s Runner-Up Finish Propels Bulldog Men to Top Ten NCAA Finish
June 08, 2018 | Track & Field
EUGENE, Ore. – With a lap to go freshman Marco Arop jumped out to go with the leaders in the men's 800m final at the NCAA Championships. Those leaders included the collegiate record holder Michael Saruni of UTEP and eventual champion Isaiah Harris of Penn State.
"I just thought, 'Let's follow these two,' and they pulled me up to the finish," Arop said. "That was the best 300m I could run."
The three men battled the entire way down the homestretch with Arop just nipping Saruni at the end to clock a personal-best 1:45.25 and take second by 0.06 seconds. He was just half a second off the winning pace.
"I honestly didn't think I could get him until the last 10m or so," Arop said. "I saw him start to slow down. That was the perfect opportunity to dip and finish second."
Arop's finish gave MSU a program-record three Top Three finishers.
"He's come a long way this season," head coach Steve Dudley said. "I'm just incredibly proud of him and our whole team for what they've accomplished this year. Look at the records they've broken and the titles they've won, both here and at Penn earlier this year. This group has been special."
The Edmonton, Alberta, native shattered the MSU freshman record for the third time this year and gave the Bulldogs their second-highest team score ever at the NCAA Championships.
"Coach Dudley believing in me this whole time, that helped a lot," Arop said. "Once I got my mindset right, it was just a matter of time until I could pull it off. Every single time I hit it, it's a better feeling than before."
With Anderson Peters and Nicolas Quijera taking first and second in the javelin on Wednesday, MSU totaled 26 points to finish 10th in the nation. Only the 1982 squad scored more, finishing with 27 and placing 17th.
Men's Results
800m: Isaiah Harris, Penn State, 1:44.76
MSU: 2. Marco Arop, 1:45.25
Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Georgia, 52 points
2. Florida, 42 points
3. Houston, 35 points
4. Southern California, 34 points
t5. Alabama, 33 points
t5. Texas Tech, 33 points
7. Texas A&M, 29 points
t8. Stanford, 28 points
t8. LSU, 28 points
10. Mississippi State, 26 points
For more information on the MSU track and field team, follow the program on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching @HailStateTF. You can also find all access coverage on SnapChat by searching 'HailStateSnap'.
"I just thought, 'Let's follow these two,' and they pulled me up to the finish," Arop said. "That was the best 300m I could run."
The three men battled the entire way down the homestretch with Arop just nipping Saruni at the end to clock a personal-best 1:45.25 and take second by 0.06 seconds. He was just half a second off the winning pace.
"I honestly didn't think I could get him until the last 10m or so," Arop said. "I saw him start to slow down. That was the perfect opportunity to dip and finish second."
Arop's finish gave MSU a program-record three Top Three finishers.
"He's come a long way this season," head coach Steve Dudley said. "I'm just incredibly proud of him and our whole team for what they've accomplished this year. Look at the records they've broken and the titles they've won, both here and at Penn earlier this year. This group has been special."
The Edmonton, Alberta, native shattered the MSU freshman record for the third time this year and gave the Bulldogs their second-highest team score ever at the NCAA Championships.
"Coach Dudley believing in me this whole time, that helped a lot," Arop said. "Once I got my mindset right, it was just a matter of time until I could pull it off. Every single time I hit it, it's a better feeling than before."
With Anderson Peters and Nicolas Quijera taking first and second in the javelin on Wednesday, MSU totaled 26 points to finish 10th in the nation. Only the 1982 squad scored more, finishing with 27 and placing 17th.
Men's Results
800m: Isaiah Harris, Penn State, 1:44.76
MSU: 2. Marco Arop, 1:45.25
Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Georgia, 52 points
2. Florida, 42 points
3. Houston, 35 points
4. Southern California, 34 points
t5. Alabama, 33 points
t5. Texas Tech, 33 points
7. Texas A&M, 29 points
t8. Stanford, 28 points
t8. LSU, 28 points
10. Mississippi State, 26 points
For more information on the MSU track and field team, follow the program on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching @HailStateTF. You can also find all access coverage on SnapChat by searching 'HailStateSnap'.
Players Mentioned
Mid Dis
/ Track & Field
Throws
/ Track & Field
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