Hoppel takes fourth in 800 meters, moves to No. 2 in school history at NCAA Championships

EUGENE, Ore. – Kansas track & field sophomore Bryce Hoppel finished fourth in the final of the 800-meter run at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Friday at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon to earn First Team All-America honors and become the No. 2 performer in KU history in the event.
 
Coming into Friday’s race with the fastest time in Wednesday’s semifinal round, where he posted a lifetime-best time of 1:46.90 to become the No. 5 performer in school history, Hoppel one-upped himself in the final.
 
The Midland, Texas native posted a time of 1:45.67 for the fourth-place finish, moving up three spots on the Kansas all-time charts behind Jayhawk legend Jim Ryun. The First Team All-America honor marks the second for Hoppel this year and for his career, as he also earned the accolade with an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in March.
 
Also in action for Kansas on Friday were George Evans, Nicolai Ceban and Barden Adams.
 
Evans, a freshman from Inverness, Scotland, finished 13th in the discus to earn Second Team All-America honors in his first-career trip to the NCAA Championships, registering a mark of 54.41 meters (178-6 ft.) in rainy conditions in Eugene.
 
Ceban also earned Second Team All-America honors, finishing right behind Evans in 14th with a mark of 54.26 meters (178-0 ft.). The senior from Camenca, Moldova ended his Kansas career with three Second Team All-America honors in the discus and an honorable mention accolade in the event as well. In total, Ceban was a six-time All-American with two honorable mentions in his Kansas career.
 
A product of West Orange, New Jersey, Adams finished 11th in the triple jump with a mark of 15.90 meters (52-2 ft.) to also earn Second Team All-America honors. The senior finished his career as the No. 2 performer in Kansas history in the triple jump in both indoor and outdoor and was a four-time All-American with three First Team Accolades.
 
The Kansas women will close out the weekend on Saturday with athletes in four events. Junior LaTyria Jefferson will compete in the high jump at 3 p.m. PDT (5 p.m. CDT) and freshman Alexandra Emilianov will throw the discus starting at 3:05 p.m. PDT. Fifth-year senior Courtney Coppinger will run in the final of the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 3:54 p.m. PDT and senior Sharon Lokedi will run her final outdoor race for Kansas as she looks for the double, running in the 5,000 meters after winning the 10,000-meter title and breaking a 30-year-old meet record on Wednesday. Lokedi will run in the 5,000-meter final at 5:25 p.m. PDT.
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