Thursday, June 6
Eugene, Ore.
6:00 PM ET/3:00 PM PT
Liberty University
at
NCAA Division I Outdoor Track Championships
Katie Urbine
Bueno, Urbine Collect 1st All-America Honors
6/6/2024 11:58:00 PM | Track and Field
EUGENE, Ore. – Liberty's Paola Bueno (11th place in women's hammer) and Katie Urbine (10th in women's pole vault) each became All-Americans for the first time, Thursday at the 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Additionally, Calli Doan successfully advanced to the women's steeplechase final during a successful day for the Lady Flames at Hayward Field.
Bueno set the tone for the day in the women's hammer. The sophomore's second attempt measured 211-4, adding two feet to her own program record from the 2023 Mexican Championship.
That mark was good for second team All-America accolades and 11th place in the competition, the best-ever national finish by a Liberty women's hammer thrower. The previous two Lady Flames to become women's hammer All-Americans (Melinda Bendik in 2012 and Jocelyn Williams in 2015) each came in 16th.
Bueno was one of two CUSA women's hammer throwers to collect All-America honors on the day. The native of Nayarit, Mexico finished one spot and four inches ahead of FIU's Michaelle Valentin in the final standings.
Liberty's first freshman to compete at this meet since 2002 (Danielle McNaney), Urbine made an exceptional NCAA Championship debut. For the second meet in a row, she cleared 14-1.25 on her first attempt, matching her personal best and Liberty freshman record.
As a result, Urbine finished 10th overall to earn second team All-America distinction. She becomes the first Lady Flame ever to become an NCAA Division I All-American in track & field as a freshman.
The native of Quarryville, Pa., closed out her competition with a pair of near misses at 14-5.25. If successful, she would have broken Andrea Wildrick's program record of 14-3.25 from 2002. However, Urbine had to settle for becoming Liberty's first women's pole vault All-American since Wildrick in 2002.
Urbine was one of four freshmen to finish inside the top 10 of Thursday's women's pole vault competition.
This is the first time multiple Lady Flames have earned All-America honors at this meet since 2002. That year, current assistant coach Heather (Sagan) Zealand (women's 1,500) and Wildrick (women's pole vault) finished second in their respective events.
Doan, already a two-time All-American for her collegiate career, will have a chance to make it three on Saturday. For the second year in a row at this meet, the sixth-year senior placed sixth in the first of two women's steeplechase semifinal heats with a new season best time (9:53.59). As was the case in Austin in 2023, that time turned out to be good enough to punch the Apex, N.C., native's ticket into the final as a time qualifier.
Doan will race in her second consecutive NCAA Division I women's steeplechase final Saturday at 5:54 p.m. Eastern. She will be one of four returnees from last year's final, joining defending champion Olivia Markezich of Notre Dame, Greta Karinauskaite of Cal Baptist and Elise Thorner of Florida.
Women's All-Americans
Paola Bueno – Hammer – 2nd Team
Katie Urbine – Pole Vault – 2nd Team
Women's Record Breakers
Program Record – Hammer – Paola Bueno – 211-4
Previous Record: 209-4 by Bueno at the Mexican Championship on July 21, 2023
Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
Hammer – No. 1 – Paola Bueno – 211-4
Up Next
The meet will conclude on Saturday with the final day of women's competition. Makenzy Mizera will triple jump at 5:50 p.m. Eastern and Doan will race in the women's steeplechase final at 5:54 p.m. Eastern, live on ESPN.
Bueno set the tone for the day in the women's hammer. The sophomore's second attempt measured 211-4, adding two feet to her own program record from the 2023 Mexican Championship.
That mark was good for second team All-America accolades and 11th place in the competition, the best-ever national finish by a Liberty women's hammer thrower. The previous two Lady Flames to become women's hammer All-Americans (Melinda Bendik in 2012 and Jocelyn Williams in 2015) each came in 16th.
Bueno was one of two CUSA women's hammer throwers to collect All-America honors on the day. The native of Nayarit, Mexico finished one spot and four inches ahead of FIU's Michaelle Valentin in the final standings.
Take a look at Paola Bueno's program-record 211-4 (64.43m) mark in the women's hammer from Thursday.
— Liberty XC & TF (@Liberty_XCTF) June 7, 2024
This earned the sophomore an 11th-place finish and 2nd team All-America honors. ?? #HonorHim pic.twitter.com/21RxOIFhJv
Liberty's first freshman to compete at this meet since 2002 (Danielle McNaney), Urbine made an exceptional NCAA Championship debut. For the second meet in a row, she cleared 14-1.25 on her first attempt, matching her personal best and Liberty freshman record.
As a result, Urbine finished 10th overall to earn second team All-America distinction. She becomes the first Lady Flame ever to become an NCAA Division I All-American in track & field as a freshman.
The native of Quarryville, Pa., closed out her competition with a pair of near misses at 14-5.25. If successful, she would have broken Andrea Wildrick's program record of 14-3.25 from 2002. However, Urbine had to settle for becoming Liberty's first women's pole vault All-American since Wildrick in 2002.
Urbine was one of four freshmen to finish inside the top 10 of Thursday's women's pole vault competition.
Here is the 14-1.25 (4.30m) clearance which made Katie Urbine the Lady Flames' 1st-ever NCAA Division I freshman All-American in women's track & field. #HonorHim pic.twitter.com/ee2RciXaR0
— Liberty XC & TF (@Liberty_XCTF) June 7, 2024
This is the first time multiple Lady Flames have earned All-America honors at this meet since 2002. That year, current assistant coach Heather (Sagan) Zealand (women's 1,500) and Wildrick (women's pole vault) finished second in their respective events.
Doan, already a two-time All-American for her collegiate career, will have a chance to make it three on Saturday. For the second year in a row at this meet, the sixth-year senior placed sixth in the first of two women's steeplechase semifinal heats with a new season best time (9:53.59). As was the case in Austin in 2023, that time turned out to be good enough to punch the Apex, N.C., native's ticket into the final as a time qualifier.
Doan will race in her second consecutive NCAA Division I women's steeplechase final Saturday at 5:54 p.m. Eastern. She will be one of four returnees from last year's final, joining defending champion Olivia Markezich of Notre Dame, Greta Karinauskaite of Cal Baptist and Elise Thorner of Florida.
Women's All-Americans
Paola Bueno – Hammer – 2nd Team
Katie Urbine – Pole Vault – 2nd Team
Women's Record Breakers
Program Record – Hammer – Paola Bueno – 211-4
Previous Record: 209-4 by Bueno at the Mexican Championship on July 21, 2023
Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
Hammer – No. 1 – Paola Bueno – 211-4
Up Next
The meet will conclude on Saturday with the final day of women's competition. Makenzy Mizera will triple jump at 5:50 p.m. Eastern and Doan will race in the women's steeplechase final at 5:54 p.m. Eastern, live on ESPN.
Players Mentioned
Hammer
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and FieldBen Shughart: Throwing Through the Pain
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Thursday, January 29
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Wednesday, January 21
Allie Zealand Talks About The Cross Country & Indoor Track Season
Friday, December 12