Rogers Finishes Fourth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships

EUGENE, Ore. -- Jenelle Rogers represented Ball State in the heptathlon on Friday and Saturday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She finished fourth overall, moving up a spot from her finish at last year's championships and earned first team All-American honors.

Going into the competition, Rogers was ranked 9th among 24 competitors. This ranking was based on her highest heptathlon score of the season, 5,825 points, which came from the Texas Relays (Mar. 27-30).

The heptathlon opened with the 100-meter hurdles. Rogers finished the event seventh after crossing the finish line with a time of 13.67. Following, she completed the high jump hitting a mark of 1.66-meters.

Rogers went from strength to strength in the shot put, leading the event from her very first throw. She finished with a mark of 14.93-meters and continued to advance in her overall placement.

Day one wrapped up on the track with the 200-meter dash. In an intense competition, Rogers ran the second fastest time, crossing the finish line in 23.60 and moving up to second overall.

The final day of competition started with the long jump on Saturday morning. In her third jump, Rogers hit a season best mark of 6.24-meters, just missing her personal best and putting her fourth in the event.

In the javelin, Rogers hit a new personal best mark after throwing for 32.73-meters. Following that throw, she was fourth overall going into the final event.

The 800-meter run was a competitive race from start to finish. Rogers got out with a strong start and maintained a steady pace with the pack throughout the entire race. She crossed the finish line with a new personal best time of 2:19.40, adding a final 832 points to her total score.

After two days and seven events, Rogers earned a total of 5,991 points, a new season best. "Overall, I feel like there were a lot of ups and downs," Rogers said following the end of the heptathlon. "The start to the hep this weekend wasn't exactly how I wanted it, but I was just trying to stay in it, keep the mental, and just battle back. I wanted to fight for every point and just trust in my training and that it was all going to work out, and it did!"

Ball State's head track and field coach, Adrian Wheatley, was excited with the results of the competition. "Today was a phenomenal opportunity for Jenelle to go out and compete and represent Ball State at a national championship," Wheatley said. "All year long we talk about doing things to prepare us for the big show, and what bigger show than the National Championship. She came out and was competitive. The first day we had some marks a little bit under what we wanted to have, but she showed courage and competed back to finish a place higher than she did a year ago. This year has been a year of continually developing and getting better, so for me as the head coach, it's about looking at our young ladies and seeing them continually growing into individuals that belong here at the National Championship. Our goal is to continue to keep bringing people here and competing at a high level at the MAC and at the NCAA level."

Rogers will now look ahead to the USA Olympic Trials scheduled for June 21 through June 30 back in Eugene, Oregon.

Ball State Individual Results at NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Heptathlon
4th – Jenelle Rogers – 5,991 points
    100-Meter Hurdles – 7th – 13.67
    High Jump – 15th – 1.66m
    Shot Put – 1st – 14.93m
    200-Meter Dash – 2nd – 23.60
    Long Jump – 4th – 6.24m
    Javelin – 19th – 32.73m
    800-Meter Run – 13th – 2:19.40

Rogers Finishes Fourth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships

Players Mentioned

Jenelle Rogers

Related Videos