Grau Brings Home National Title in Mile
by Shawn Chambers, USI Graduate Assistant
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—University of Southern Indiana Men’s Track & Field junior Bastian Grau (Höchstadt, Germany) will return to Evansville from the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a National Championship in hand after a stellar performance in the mile on the event’s final day. Senior Chase Broughton (Marengo, Indiana) will also return with hardware after a fifth-place performance in the 3,000-meter run.
Despite falling to the back of the pack to begin the event, Grau was able to move from last to the lead of the pack between the 600 and 800-meter mark of the race. From there, Grau paced the field by a half-of-a-second the rest of the way en route to his first career national title, finishing in four minutes, 5.70 seconds. His time marks the second fastest in USI history behind Ben Kapsoiya’s 4:04.44 achieved at the 1999 NCAA II Indoor Championships
With his title, Grau becomes the third Screaming Eagle to earn a national title during the indoor season, and the first since Tyler Pence won the 5,000-meters in 2015. Elly Rono earned the national title, also in the 5,000-meters, in 1998. Between cross country and indoor/outdoor track & field, it is the seventh national title for the men’s programs.
Grau, also a part of Friday evening’s distance medley relay team, becomes an All-American for the second time in his first year as an Eagle. During the fall, Grau was in line to finish near the top of the field before an injury prevented his finish. Climbing to as high as fourth near the halfway point, Broughton fell a spot to fifth where he stayed for the final 1,200-meters to finish in 8:05.65.
In one of the meet’s final events, Broughton picked up an All-America honor with a fifth-place finish in the 3,000-meter run. Staying near the back of the lead pack to start, Broughton began to move up the field near the 800-meter mark.
Broughton’s time marks the second fastest in USI history, trailing only Johnnie Guy’s 8:05.22 set a year ago at the Gladstein Invitational. Broughton’s finish is also the 14th-fastest in NCAA II history.
His finish marks Broughton’s second All-America honor during the 2017 NCAA II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The senior captured his first career outdoor All-America award after a fourth-place finish as a part of the distance medley relay team on Friday. In the fall, Broughton’s 27th-place finish in the NCAA II Cross Country Championships earned him his first cross country All-America nod. He became an All-American for the first time last spring with a sixth-place showing in the steeplechase finals.
As a team, the Eagles finished in a tie for 13th-place with Missouri Southern University, totaling 19 points for the event. The 19 points breakdown to 10 from Grau’s title run, five from the distance medley relay’s fourth-place performance, and four from Broughton who finished fifth in the 3,000-meters.
Tiffin University took the team crown with 63 after dominating the field events, taking the top spot in three separate events. Ashland University and St. Augustine University rounded out the top three teams with 52 and 46 points, respectively.
USI begins the outdoor season March 23 when it competes at the VU Bill Smith Challenge in Vincennes, Indiana.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—University of Southern Indiana Men’s Track & Field junior Bastian Grau (Höchstadt, Germany) will return to Evansville from the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a National Championship in hand after a stellar performance in the mile on the event’s final day. Senior Chase Broughton (Marengo, Indiana) will also return with hardware after a fifth-place performance in the 3,000-meter run.
Despite falling to the back of the pack to begin the event, Grau was able to move from last to the lead of the pack between the 600 and 800-meter mark of the race. From there, Grau paced the field by a half-of-a-second the rest of the way en route to his first career national title, finishing in four minutes, 5.70 seconds. His time marks the second fastest in USI history behind Ben Kapsoiya’s 4:04.44 achieved at the 1999 NCAA II Indoor Championships
With his title, Grau becomes the third Screaming Eagle to earn a national title during the indoor season, and the first since Tyler Pence won the 5,000-meters in 2015. Elly Rono earned the national title, also in the 5,000-meters, in 1998. Between cross country and indoor/outdoor track & field, it is the seventh national title for the men’s programs.
Grau, also a part of Friday evening’s distance medley relay team, becomes an All-American for the second time in his first year as an Eagle. During the fall, Grau was in line to finish near the top of the field before an injury prevented his finish. Climbing to as high as fourth near the halfway point, Broughton fell a spot to fifth where he stayed for the final 1,200-meters to finish in 8:05.65.
In one of the meet’s final events, Broughton picked up an All-America honor with a fifth-place finish in the 3,000-meter run. Staying near the back of the lead pack to start, Broughton began to move up the field near the 800-meter mark.
Broughton’s time marks the second fastest in USI history, trailing only Johnnie Guy’s 8:05.22 set a year ago at the Gladstein Invitational. Broughton’s finish is also the 14th-fastest in NCAA II history.
His finish marks Broughton’s second All-America honor during the 2017 NCAA II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The senior captured his first career outdoor All-America award after a fourth-place finish as a part of the distance medley relay team on Friday. In the fall, Broughton’s 27th-place finish in the NCAA II Cross Country Championships earned him his first cross country All-America nod. He became an All-American for the first time last spring with a sixth-place showing in the steeplechase finals.
As a team, the Eagles finished in a tie for 13th-place with Missouri Southern University, totaling 19 points for the event. The 19 points breakdown to 10 from Grau’s title run, five from the distance medley relay’s fourth-place performance, and four from Broughton who finished fifth in the 3,000-meters.
Tiffin University took the team crown with 63 after dominating the field events, taking the top spot in three separate events. Ashland University and St. Augustine University rounded out the top three teams with 52 and 46 points, respectively.
USI begins the outdoor season March 23 when it competes at the VU Bill Smith Challenge in Vincennes, Indiana.
