EUGENE, Oregon – Shaquille Walker took fifth in the 800 meters and Steve Flint placed 10th in the 3,000m steeplechase at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Friday night.
"This week was a step forward for our program," BYU head coach Ed Eyestone said. "I'm pleased with how we did, and that we ended up there with some of the best teams in the country."
Walker took fifth in the 800m with a time of 1:49.99 to finish his historic sophomore season with a first-team All-America performance. Earlier in the season, Walker's time of 1:45.78 in the 800m at the Sun Angel Classic broke the school record in that event and was the nation's second-best time this year.
"I think he (Walker) ran a great strategic race," Eyestone said. "He put himself in a position to give it a run at the end, and gave it all he had. I'm proud of him and his season."
The men's 4x400 team that broke a 44-year-old school record earlier this season finished fifth in Friday's final with a time of 3:05.56. The first-team All-American squad, consisting of Mario Harper, Sean Adams, Jesse White and Walker, ran its last three races faster than the record set in 1971.
Senior Steve Flint placed 10th in the 3,000m steeplechase final, garnering second-team All-America honors with a time of 8:54.80. Flint's strong last couple laps moved him from 12th to 10th as he capped off his BYU career.
BYU's men's team scored 14.0 points overall, good for a 13th-place finish. Oregon (85.0) won the team championship with Florida (56.0) coming in second and Arkansas (53.0) coming in third.