Jacksonville, Fla. - Youngstown State senior Conner Neu finished eighth in the hammer throw at the NCAA Track and Field East Preliminary Round to advance to the NCAA Championships in the event. Neu will next compete on Wednesday, June 8 in Eugene, Ore.
On Friday at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Neu competed in the third flight out of the group of 48 participants.
He opened with a toss of 65.39m (218-11) which put him close the qualifying distance on his first attempt. On his second throw, Neu had his best effort of 66.73m (218-11) which moved him solidly into sixth place. Two throwers moved past Neu in round three as he had a final toss of 65.42m (214-7).
Winning the event was Cornell's Rudy Winkler who had a throw of 70.54m.
Neu, along with 11 finalists from the East Prelims and a dozen from the West Preliminary, will throw at 5 p.m. Eastern/2 p.m. Pacific time on June 8.
Neu placed eighth in the weight throw at the Indoor Track and Field Championships in March and received first-team All-America status.