BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - CSU Bakersfield's Thomas Judge (Sr., Bakersfield, Calif., Garces HS) isn't ready to throw in the towel on his collegaite career just yet.
Instead, the senior track and field star will get another chance to throw the hammer as a Roadrunner.
Judge, the two-time Great West Conference hammer throw champion and GWC record holder in the event, has qualified for the 2013 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field West Preliminary Round, which will be held in Austin, Texas May 23-25. Athletes who rank among the top 48 in their respective events earn berths into the NCAA West Preliminary Round. Judge, with his season best toss of 194-05 that came at the Ben Brown Invitational on March 9, finished the regular season ranked at No. 47.
"I am very proud of Tom. It is a true testament of what someone can do with hard work and a great coach like Alan Collatz," said CSUB Director of Track and Field Marcia Mansur-Wentworth. "Tom began as a walk-on and became a two-time conference champion and record holder and is now headed to the NCAAs. As outstanding as Tom is as a student-athlete, he is even more outstanding as a young man. He has made all of us very proud this year. It has been an honor and a privilege getting to know him."
Judge will be the lone representative from the CSUB track and field team at the regional meet.
The University of Texas will be hosting the three-day competition, which will take place at Mike A. Myers Stadium and feature some of the nation's premier student-athletes. In the hammer, the 16 best marks, after tiebreakers, will qualify from the first round of three preliminary attempts to the final round of three tries.The top 12 advance to the 2013 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon on June 5-8, 2013.
The first round of the men's hammer competition will begin at 2 p.m. (CDT) on Friday, May 24. The complete schedule of the meet is attached as a PDF.
Live results of the competition are available and links with video streams are included below:
VIDEO STREAMING
Friday, May 24: http://ulive.cbssports.com/index-ncaa.html?media=388919
Saturday, May 25: http://ulive.cbssports.com/index-ncaa.html?media=388920
~www.GoRunners.com~
