Delophont adds Second Team All-American honors in high jump at NCAA Championships
6/8/2013 12:00:00โฏAM | Track and Field, Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
EUGENE, Ore. โ Kent State freshman Dior Delophont (Nancy, France) placed 13th in the women's high jump at 5 feet, 10.75 inches to earn Second Team All-American honors on the fourth and final day of competition today (June 8) at the 2013 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the University of Oregon's historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.ย
Delophont, who also earned Second Team All-American honors in the triple jump after leaping 42 feet, 2.25 inches on Fridayย (June 7) to place 15th and become Kent State's first women's outdoor triple jump All-American, is Kent State's first women's outdoor high jump All-American.
The top eight finishers in each event in Eugene earn First Team All-American honors, with places nine through 16 garnering Second Team accolades.ย Each event is composed of the top 24 student-athletes/relay teams in the country.
Delophont qualified for the high jump with a second-place finish and leap of 5-11.25 at the NCAA East Prelims May 23-25 in Greensboro, N.C.ย Her 6-0 clearance May 3-4 at the Campbell/Wright Open in Akron, Ohio was ranked 12th nationally.
"Dior had an unbelievable year in both the indoor and outdoor seasons," said Bill Lawson, Kent State director of track and field and cross country.ย "It's been a long season for a true freshman, but she adapted very well.ย The future is very bright for Dior."
Delophont, a 4.0 student, is now a four-time All-American after placing fifth in both the triple jump and high jump at the 2013 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships in March.ย The French sensation is also a five-time Mid-American Conference champion between the indoor and outdoor seasons, including the outdoor triple jump and high jump titles.
"Dior has accomplished more than any other freshman in the history of Kent State track and field," said Lawson.ย "She's been a warrior for us and it's been an absolute pleasure to have her competing at Kent State."
Freshman Danniel Thomas (Shrewsbury, Jamaica) just missed her second All-American finish with a 19th-place finish at 50-5.25 in the women's shot put.ย Thomas, who earned First Team All-American honors on Thursday (June 6) with an eighth-place finish in the discus throw at 179-9, needed at least 52-5.50 to crack the top 16.ย She qualified for nationals in the shot put with a seventh-place, 52-10 effort at the East Prelims.
Thomas did earn honorable mention All-American status in the shot put, as did sophomore Matthias Tayala (McDonald, Ohio) who was 22nd in the men's hammer throw at 197-8 and freshman Reggie Jagers (Solon, Ohio) who was 18th in the men's discus at 178-2.
"Danniel got to stand on the podium [on Thursday] and finished a great year," said Lawson.ย "She's a great girl and we enjoy having her at Kent State.ย Danniel is only going to get better.ย Both Dior and Danniel are the real deal and you can expect more great things from them in the future."
Delophont and Thomas were a major reason the Golden Flashes won their fourth-straight MAC women's outdoor team title May 9-11 in Akron, Ohio with a 50-point margin of victory.ย The standout duo combined to score 40 points for the Flashes with Delophont the MAC women's MVP.ย Lawson earned his fourth-straight MAC women's Coach of the Year honor.
