AUSTIN, Texas – Arizona Track and Field finished the final day of the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Saturday to wrap up their collegiate outdoor season. The men completed their portion of the competition yesterday, with the women competing for one last time today. Talie Bonds capped off her record-setting season with a fourth-place finish on the day for the Wildcats.
 
"I'm very proud of all the coaches, support staff, and everyone that was a part of making this trip a memorable one," said Head Coach Fred Harvey. "The athletes came here, and they got it done. We talked about it all year long in terms of coming here and being able to execute and do your job. As a team and how we performed out here, I couldn't be happier for our program and the direction that we're going."
 
FIELD HIGHLIGHTS
After winning the NCAA Elite 90 Award on Thursday, senior Alexa Porpaczy finished 20th in the high jump after clearing a height of 1.78m (5-10). Porpaczy cleared her first two heights with ease on just one attempt each, but then couldn't clear her third height on the day. This was her first career appearance at the NCAA Championships. She was also one of just three Wildcats to compete at both the indoor and outdoor championships this season.  
 
Freshman Tapenisa Havea placed 19th in the discus with a heave of 52.05m (170-9). She finished 10th in her flight as well, which was the first of the day. Like Porpaczy, this was her first career outing at the NCAA Championships. She was the first Wildcat to compete in the event at the championships since 2013.
 
TRACK HIGHLIGHTS
Senior Talie Bonds finished her career as a Wildcat with a fourth-place finish in the women's 100m hurdles. Bonds clocked a time of 12.71 (+3.8) to propel her to a top-four placing. She battled windy conditions that the Wildcats haven't had to deal with for the majority of their meets this year. This year's competition was also arguably the greatest 100m hurdles race in NCAA history, with the winner claiming the best all-conditions time ever. Bonds' jump from a 16th-place finish last year to fourth this year showcases the incredible season she has had, which included setting the Arizona school record in the event. She entered the competition ranked fifth. Additionally, her fourth-place finish is the best for an Arizona woman in the event since 2011.
Tweet #

First Team All-American @TalieBondsfb????#BearDown | #BeLezoLike pic.twitter.com/9SvYz6xfBE

— Arizona Track & Field/Cross Country (@ArizonaTrack) June 11, 2023

 
"It was a little bit windy so I was coming up on hurdles pretty fast, but I can't complain. I ended up fourth and got an All-America award so I'm happy," said Bonds. "I came in ranked fifth and finished fourth which is better than expected."
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Hear from @TalieBondsfb on today's performance!#BearDown | #BeLezoLike pic.twitter.com/6URtu4STDt

— Arizona Track & Field/Cross Country (@ArizonaTrack) June 11, 2023

Bonds was the only competitor to score on the women's side for the Wildcats. The team finished 43rd with 5 points. Yesterday, the Arizona Men finished 17th with 16 points all coming from Jordan Geist. For the week, the Wildcats earned three First Team All-America honors, one Second Team, and six Honorable Mentions.
 
ALL-AMERICANS
Jordan Geist – First Team (Shot Put and Hammer Throw)
Talie Bonds – First Team (100m Hurdles)
Youssef Koudssi – Second Team (Discus), Honorable Mention (Shot Put)
Trayvion White-Austin, Brian Limage, Carl Hicks, James Onanubosi – Honorable Mention (4x100m)
Tapenisa Havea – Honorable Mention (Discus)
Alexa Porpaczy – Honorable Mention (High Jump)
Zach Landa – Honorable Mention (Shot Put)
Jared O'Riley – Honorable Mention (Javelin)
 
"You have to get here to truly understand what this experience is about," added Coach Harvey. "We started with Jordan Geist in the hammer and being in the lead going into the final rounds. Being the collegiate leader, he put it out here and the guys had to come back and get him. You can't ask for anything more than that; it was a phenomenal performance. Then coming back in the shot put, you couldn't write a script better than that in Hollywood. To beat his freshman teammate was fantastic."
 
He also said, "I'm super proud of what Talie Bonds did. That was the best college 100m hurdles race in the history of the NCAA. She was in there and she's fourth overall. Alexa winning the Elite 90 Award is another super, super highlight. That is so special because you have to be at this meet in order to win that."

Tweet #

Meet thoughts from Coach Harvey!#BearDown | #BeLezoLike pic.twitter.com/ha9xT8WTGn

— Arizona Track & Field/Cross Country (@ArizonaTrack) June 11, 2023

 
UP NEXT
With the conclusion of the NCAA Championships, the collegiate season is officially over for the Wildcats after a tremendous season filled with school records and top 10 performances. A select number of Arizona competitors that have met their event qualifying marks this outdoor season will now look towards the USA World Championship Trials on June 20-25. The majority of other country's national championships will be held in June as well.
 
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