Liberty University
NCAA Division I Indoor Track Championships
Chelanga Places 15th in NCAA 3K Final
3/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Running his second distance race in two days at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships, Liberty redshirt senior Sam Chelanga finished 15th in the men's 3K final, Saturday evening at Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium.
Chelanga, who had finished as the runner-up in the 5K on Friday, clocked an 8:11.15 to earn second team All-America notation. It was his NCAA debut at the 3K distance.
Stanford's Elliott Heath posted an 8:03.71 to win the 3K national title, outsprinting Minnesota's Ben Blankenship to the finish line.
With the eight team points Liberty earned from Chelanga's 5K effort, the Flames finished in a tie for 26th place in the final standings for the second year in a row. Liberty shared the spot with Connecticut, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, Oregon and Tulsa. The Flames have now placed among the top 40 teams at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships for seven straight years.
Chelanga will now prepare for his final collegiate outdoor track & field season. He will enter the season as the defending national champion in the 10K.
Highlights from both days of the 2011 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships will air on ESPN2 Wednesday from 2:30-4 p.m.
