ASU track and field's defending national high jump champion Bryan McBride was dethroned at the 2015 NCAA Championships, ending a rough NCAA meet which saw the Sun Devils score their fewest points since the 2002-03 season.
McBride cleared 7 feet, 5.75 inches at the 2014 championships to win the Division I crown, but ended up on Friday 3.5 inches short of his winning jump from 2014. McBride, the ASU record holder in high jump at 7-6.5, still placed sixth at the meet, earning All-America honors and three of the Sun Devils' four points. Texas Tech's Jacorian Duffield won the 2015 high jump title at 7-5.75.
"He wasn’t happy with the performance, but it’s been well documented that he’s been battling a stress reaction," said Greg Kraft, ASU's director of track and field to the team's site. "Even so, we couldn’t be more proud of everything Bryan has accomplished as a Sun Devil."
McBride also competed in the long jump (Wednesday), earning Second Team All-American honors, though his personal record would have placed.
The only other Sun Devil to score was senior Michael Ohakwe, who placed eighth in the discus with a throw of 191-10. Ohakwe set a personal record in the process and improved to sixth in the program's all-time record book. His placing throw was actually his first of the day, which briefly led the field. Three of his five remaining throws were fouls.
“When I look at some of the big throws we’ve had this year, I can’t think of any bigger than the one Michael threw today," Kraft said. "He came to us from TCU and has developed to become an All-American, and we really couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Junior Josh Dixon bested his NCAA prelim in the triple jump by half an inch, and at 51-10.5, was 16th (Second Team All-American). Dixon fouled his first triple jump, got on the board on his second and set his mark in his final jump.
"He’s really been the lone underclassman who has performed for us all year,” Kraft said. “We’re going to need him to be a leader for our team come next season, and we know that he’s going to be able to take that next step."
The other three NCAA qualifiers for ASU finished last or next-to-last in their respective events.
As a team, ASU finished in a nine-way tie for 51st, its worst in more than a decade. Oregon won the meet at its home track with Florida, Arkansas, LSU and USC rounding out the top five. From the Pac-12, Stanford placed 16th, Arizona 19th, Colorado 51st and Cal 68th.
Results:
High Jump:
McBride: sixth (7 feet, 2.25 inches), three points
Discuss:
Ohakwe: eighth (191 feet, 10 inches), one point
Long jump:
McBride: 16th (24 feet, 7 inches)
Triple jump:
Dixon: 16th (51 feet, 10.5 inches)
Hammer:
Kyle Lillie: 23rd (200 feet, 6 inches)
400 meter:
Devan Spann: 24th (47.87)
110 hurdles:
William Taylor: 24th (14.44)
Reach the reporter at jmjanss1@asu.edu or follow @jjanssen11 on Twitter.
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