Spring Break
INDOOR TRACK: Ben Nun earns All-America honors at NCAA Championships
by Sean Petterson
Staff writer
Sports | 3/17/09
Posted online at 10:49 PM EST on 3/16/09
/ Last updated at 2:21 AM EST on 3/16/09
Anat Ben Nun '09 and Ali Sax '09 knew that this past weekend's Division III National Championships would be the last indoor track meet in which they would compete together.
Ben Nun finished sixth in the triple jump, while Sax finished 10th in the same event, earning Brandeis three points, the second-best finish of all University Athletic Association teams behind Emory University. Wartburg College won the women's championship.
Entering the NCAA Championships, Ben Nun confidently said that her goal was to "jump more than I have jumped at Brandeis over the past four years." She was almost able to accomplish her goal.
Ben Nun entered the NCAA Championships seeded ninth, but she leaped ahead of her preliminary group of eight on her second of three preliminary jumps with a season-high 11.77-meter leap to qualify for the finals. Entering the final three jumps, Ben Nun had the fourth-longest jump, but she failed to improve on her second jump in the finals and ultimately finished sixth. Ben Nun was victimized by the strength of this year's competition, as her 11.77-meter jump would have placed her second last year. Nonetheless, Ben Nun was named an All-American for the third time in her career after missing her entire junior season due to a knee injury.
"The girls who jumped over 12 meters definitely deserved it more than I did, but I did my best," Ben Nun said. "It's my best at Brandeis so far, and I wish it would have taken me farther, but I think sixth is good too."
Prior to the meet, Sax said in an interview that she knew exactly what she needed to do going into the NCAA Championships. "I'm not ranked very high up so I'm going to have to improve," she said.
Sax came into her first trip to the NCAA Championships seeded 14th out of 14 jumpers, but she quickly rose up the rankings, rising all the way to 10th place with a leap of 11.46 meters. Sax ended just shy of a chance at the championship, however, finishing .06 meters and one place away from qualifying for the finals.
Ben Nun finished sixth in the triple jump, while Sax finished 10th in the same event, earning Brandeis three points, the second-best finish of all University Athletic Association teams behind Emory University. Wartburg College won the women's championship.
Entering the NCAA Championships, Ben Nun confidently said that her goal was to "jump more than I have jumped at Brandeis over the past four years." She was almost able to accomplish her goal.
Ben Nun entered the NCAA Championships seeded ninth, but she leaped ahead of her preliminary group of eight on her second of three preliminary jumps with a season-high 11.77-meter leap to qualify for the finals. Entering the final three jumps, Ben Nun had the fourth-longest jump, but she failed to improve on her second jump in the finals and ultimately finished sixth. Ben Nun was victimized by the strength of this year's competition, as her 11.77-meter jump would have placed her second last year. Nonetheless, Ben Nun was named an All-American for the third time in her career after missing her entire junior season due to a knee injury.
"The girls who jumped over 12 meters definitely deserved it more than I did, but I did my best," Ben Nun said. "It's my best at Brandeis so far, and I wish it would have taken me farther, but I think sixth is good too."
Prior to the meet, Sax said in an interview that she knew exactly what she needed to do going into the NCAA Championships. "I'm not ranked very high up so I'm going to have to improve," she said.
Sax came into her first trip to the NCAA Championships seeded 14th out of 14 jumpers, but she quickly rose up the rankings, rising all the way to 10th place with a leap of 11.46 meters. Sax ended just shy of a chance at the championship, however, finishing .06 meters and one place away from qualifying for the finals.
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