Sacramento, Calif. ? University at Albany's Marc Pallozzi finished eighth in the finals of the javelin throw to earn All-America status for the second straight time at the NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships on Friday evening at California State University, Sacramento's A.G. Spanos Sports Complex. Sophomore Joe Greene finished fourth in the men's 400-meter intermediate hurdles finals on Saturday afternoon to garner All-America recognition. With their finishes, the pair became the first Great Dane track and field athletes in UAlbany history to score points at an NCAA meet.
Greene's time of 49.92 set a new school record and made him the top UAlbany finisher at an NCAA event. Pallozzi, who finished 10th in the NCAA Championships last year, recorded a throw of 224-feet, 5-inches to finish eighth.
“Joe had a great performance,” said UAlbany head coach Roberto Vives. “He used running in lane 8, which is usually a disadvantage, to his advantage because he wasn't watching the other runners. He made a step up from last season and defeated guys he hadn't beaten before.”
Greene, a two-time IC4A champion and the 2007 America East Conference Championship's most outstanding performer, finished third at NCAA East Regionals to qualify for the national meet. He sprinted a school-record 50.18 to register the best finish by a UAlbany athlete in regional competition.
“To have two All-Americans is great for our program,” offered Vives. “Our goal is to become a top-20 track and field program, and we are on our way.”
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NCAA Track & Field Championships
Men's Javelin
1. Justin Ryncavage (North Carolina), 241-5; 2. Adam Montague (North Carolina), 236-1; 3. Aris Borjas (Cal Poly), 234-4; 4. Cody Fillinich (Northwestern State), 230-5; 5. Chris Hill (McNeese State), 229-4; 6. Chad Rdgowski (LSU), 225-11; 7. Ryan Brandel (Oregon), 225-11; 8. Marc Pallozzi (UAlbany), 224-5; 9. Michael Maloney (Tennessee), 220-11; 10. Preston Chatham (LSU), 212-3; 11. Tanner Evak (Penn State), 207-4; 12. Alex vanderMerwe (Texas-El Paso), 199-6.
400-Meter Hurdles ?Finals
1. Isa Phillips (LSU), 48.51; 2. Brandon Johnson (UCLA), 49.02; 3. Justin Gaymon (Georgia), 49.43; 4. Joe Greene (UAlbany), 49.92; 5. Thomas Hilliard (South Carolina), 49.93; 6. Andrew Peresta (Hampton), 50.85; 7. Bryan Scott (Texas Tech), 51.01; 8. Hamza Deyaf (Texas), 51.24.
