EUGENE, Ore. – Cornell senior
Rudy Winkler became just the fourth Big Red track and field athlete to win a national championship when he unleashed a throw of 243 feet, 2 inches to take home the 2017 NCAA Hammer Throw title. He joins an elite list consisting of Charlie Moore (1949 – 440-yard run; 1951 220-yard hurdles), Rayon Taylor (2007 triple jump) and Muhammad Halim (2008 triple jump).
Throwing in the second flight of one of the most competitive fields in NCAA hammer throw history, Winkler's winning effort came on his third and final first-round attempt, giving him the advantage of advancing to the final nine and taking the final throw of the competition. In the end, his final throw proved unnecessary as both Southeast Louisiana's Alexander Young (241 feet, 8 inches) and Kansas' Gleb Dudarev (240 feet, 11 inches) came up short on their final attempts.
With the national crown, Winkler earns his third first-team All-American honor in the hammer throw, and the fifth All-American accolade of his career, thanks to back-to-back top eight NCAA finishes in the weight throw.
Later in the afternoon, Big Red senior
James Gowans wrapped up his first ever NCAA Outdoor Championship appearance after placing 17th overall in the 1,500-meter race. Gowans finished eighth in his heat in a time of 3:45.387, and nipped Yale's Trevor Reinhart at the line by .002 of a second, but it wasn't enough to qualify for the finals.
