Keith Bechtol Finishes 14th at NCAA Championships

Misses All-America Honors by a Single Second

06/08/07 12:53PM

SACRAMENTO, CALIF - The narrowest of margins, one single second in a half-hour race, was all that prevented senior Keith Bechtol (Alexandria, Va.) from earning his first All-America honor last night at the NCAA Track Championships.

10,000m Results

The 10,000m race, which began at 11 p.m. EST, was a slow, strategic race won by Shadrack Songok of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in 28:55.83. Bechtol finished 14th in 29:20.05, less than a second behind the 13th-place finisher, Jeff Powers of Central Michigan. All-American honors went to the top eight finishers, and the top-eight American-born finishers. In the 10,000m, the eighth American runner was Powers.

Bechtol will now await word on whether or not he’ll be invited to the USAT&F National Championships, June 20-24 in Indianapolis, Indiana.