Forness Completes All-American Quest

GENEVA, Ohio (5/25/17)--- Senior Mikayla Forness' quest for her first All-American honor came down to a single throw in the javelin on the first day at the NCAA National Outdoor Meet.

Forness trailed the top 9 spots to get into the finals of the event after her first two prelim attempts. Saving the most dramatic moment for, what could have been, the final try of her career – Forness unleashed a throw of 137-07.25 which pushed her into the Top 5 and qualified her for the finals of the event.

Forness then bettered her prelim mark on her second throw of finals when she posted a distance of 143-00. Her mark earned her All-American honors and helped her finish fifth in the event.

It is the first All-American honor for Forness whose previous best finish at the NCAA Outdoor Meet in the javelin came last year when she finished in 17th place.

Forness was the only one of the three Cobber athletes to compete in the NCAA National Outdoor Meet. In addition to her All-American outing in the javelin, she also competed in the first four events of the heptathlon.

Forness, who finished ninth in the heptathlon at last year's NCAA Meet, got off to a slow start at this year's meet and is in 12th place after the 200 meters. Her highest point total on Day 1 came in the 200 meters where she ran a 26.86 and earned 724 points. Her best finish among the 22 competitors was in the high jump where she cleared 5-01 which tied her for eighth place in the event.

Forness will hope to climb the rankings in the heptathlon and get into the top 8 to claim her second All-American award when she competes in the long jump, javelin and 800 meters on Day 2 of the meet.       

NCAA Javelin Final Results
1. Mary Kate Duncan, JR, Moravian - 151-09
2. Elanta Slowek, JR, Carthage - 148-00
3. Megan Pohlmann, SR, St. Catherine - 143-10
4. Gabrielle Alguire, SR, Susquehanna - 143-08
5. Mikayla Forness, SR, Concordia-Moorhead - 143-00 
6. Lia Negra, JR, Montclair State - 141-11
7. Emily Sproul, JR, Pacific (Ore.) - 139-02
8. Stephanie McFadrie, SO, Worcester State - 137-05
9. Katy McClellan, SO, Smith College - 137-03
10. Amanda Porter, SR, Elizabethtown - 133-05
11. Ellie Bucknell, FR, Bridgewater St. - 132-11
12. Ellen Masalsky, SR, Bowdoin - 132-06
13. Payton Wagmeister, SR, Elizabethtown - 132-05
14. Jessica Finn, JR, Pomona-Pitzer - 130-09
15. Audrey Miller, JR, Brockport St. - 129-09
16. Sabrina Degnan, SO, Occidental - 127-11
17. Trish Hare, SR, Carleton - 127-09
18. Machaela Graddy, JR, Pacific Lutheran - 125-03
19. Alex Grubbs, FR, Wis.-Stevens Point - 124-04
20. Devon Player, JR, Middlebury - 121-06
21. Kendra Paul, JR, Ohio Northern - 115-08
22. Nicole Umbenhauer, SR, DeSales - 114-02