TRACK: Grow, Shay earn NCAA honors
By ANDREW SOUKUP
Associate Sports Editor
Irish track stars Liz Grow and Ryan Shay had a unique destination in mind for last week's spring break — the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Shay and Grow both earned All-American honors at the national meet on March 9 and 10. The meet was held at the University of Arkansas.
Grow had a solid weekend opener, placing sixth in the third preliminary heat of the 400-meter dash. She ran 53.42, her second fastest time of the season, and managed to qualify for Saturday's final.
In the final, Grow didn't run as fast as she had Friday. She ended up finishing eighth with a time of 53.73, nearly four-tenths of a second of her school record 53.3. The junior finished 1.36 seconds behind champion Demetria Washington of South Carolina.
However, Grow still secured All-American honors. She became the first Notre Dame female sprinter and only the fourth female track athlete to earn such status.
Meanwhile, Shay, who competed in his first indoor track and field championship meet, earned his fourth All-American distinction in the 5,000-meter run. Shay entered the 5,000 seeded fourth, but he finished ninth place. His time, 14:02.35, was about ten seconds off his school record 13:52.66 time set a month and a half ago. Shay finished 20 seconds behind the eventual champion, Alabama's David Kimani.
This is the fourth time Shay has earned All-American status, but it is the first time he has garnered this honor at the indoor championships. He earned All-American distinction for the past two years at the outdoor championships in the 10,000 meters, and has also taken All-American honors in cross country.
Both Shay and Grow have two weeks to prepare for the outdoor opener on March 30. The Irish sprinters and jumpers, including Grow, will most likely head to Arizona State. Meanwhile, Shay and a few other top distance runners will travel to Stanford. The rest of the Notre Dame track team will probably compete at Purdue.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, March 20, 2001
