BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University track & field junior Alex Barry and sophomore Raquel Pellecer have been named U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) First Team All-Americans, announced Tuesday by the organization.
Barry (Sequim, WA) placed 4th in the men’s javelin while Pellecer (Sandy, OR/Portland State) finished 6th in the women’s javelin during the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships last weekend, hosted at the Irwin Belk Complex in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Student-athletes earn First Team All-America recognition from the USTFCCCA by placing among the top 8 in their respective events, including members of relay teams, at the national championships. Second-Team All-America honors are given to those placing 9th through 12th in individual events, or on relay teams placing 9th or 10th.
Barry entered the national championships seeded No. 10 with a top throw of 65.63m (215-4) and proceeded to better his personal best three times over six attempts at the national championships for a 4th-place finish.
Competing in the first of two flights, his first throw of the national championships was 67.80m (222-5) and was followed by a second throw of 68.03m (223-2) in the preliminaries to enter the final with the 4th-best throw. In the final, his last attempt was 68.38m (224-4) to place 4th in the competition.
Barry’s best mark from the national championships ranks No. 5 in GNAC top-10 history, after his top throw entering the national championships had ranked No. 8. He remains ranked No. 2 on the WWU top-10 list, the same spot his previous personal best held entering the national championships.
The finish for Barry was the sixth All-American men’s javelin performance for WWU since 2010, as he became the fourth WWU men’s javelin All-American in the NCAA Division II era.
Pellecer posted a top mark of 45.32m (148-8) at the national championships to place 6th, advancing to the final in 5th after recording her best mark on her first throw of the competition. Her best throw during the finals was 44.88m (147-3) on her last attempt, shy of her top mark from the preliminaries.
Entering the championships with the No. 6 throw on the performance list, Pellecer’s first season competing for the Vikings featured a personal-best mark of 48.01m (157-6) during the GNAC Outdoor Championships to rank No. 7 in WWU top-10 history and No. 9 in GNAC top-10 history.
The All-American finish for Pellecer in the javelin continued a stretch of five consecutive years in which the WWU women have had at least one All-American in the event. The Vikings have had at least one All-American in the women’s javelin in seven of the last eight years overall and Pellecer’s finish was the 13th All-American honor for WWU women’s javelin throwers (six student-athletes earning All-America honors) in the NCAA Division II era.
Barry’s finish scored 5 team points for the WWU men to place in a tie for 40th while Pellecer’s finish scored 3 team points for the WWU women to place in a tie for 55th at the national championships.
