June 10, 2010
EUGENE, Ore. -
Illinois State freshman Tim Glover ended his season Thursday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a 12th place finish in the javelin at historic Heyward Field.
Glover, the 2010 Missouri Valley Conference champion in the event, competed against the best in the nation Thursday evening and just missed out on a top-10 finish in his first trip to the NCAA Championships. The Normal, Ill., native recorded a throw of 62.83 meters on his first attempt (206'01"), but stepped up his mark to 67.54 meters (221'07") on his second throw to move up the board. His third and final throw fell short of his second effort, so his distance of 221'07" earned him 12th place on the final results list.
"Tim got a good taste of what it takes to be one of the top collegiate throwers in the nation today and I think he showed he belongs in that conversation," ISU head coach Elvis Forde said. "Tim will be the first to tell you that he is disappointed with his performance today and missed out on an opportunity to make the finals. But, sometimes you just have an off day in track and field and you feel bad for a couple days, but get re-focused and move ahead. Tim had a wonderful freshman campaign at Illinois State and we believe the future is very bright for him."
Thursday's competition capped off a record-breaking year for the University High School product. Glover finished third in the men's javelin competition with a throw of 231'02" (70.45m) at the NCAA West Region Preliminary Round in Austin, Texas, to earn a spot in the NCAA Championships. That came right after his school-record setting throw of 233'11" earned him a conference championship in the javelin at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
He first jumped onto the radar when he broke his father's 40-year-old school record in the javelin with a throw of 226'06" in his first collegiate competition at the SIU Gill Spring Classic. Glover's season may not have ended the way he wanted it to, but he knows that the future holds a lot of opportunities.
"I was really excited going into today's competition and felt very confident," Glover said. "I guess I just didn't have enough in the tank to make it to the finals against the best javelin throwers in the country. The season did not end the way I hoped it would, but I had a great year and still have three more years left to improve and get back to the NCAA Championships."
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