BRADENTON, Fla.—University of Southern Indiana junior Chase Broughton (Marengo, Indiana) finished sixth in the finals of the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase Friday evening at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships to claim his first career All-America honor.
Broughton, who earned first-team accolades with his placement, finished the race in nine minutes, 0.01 seconds, less than seven seconds off the winning time of 8:53.29, set by Black Hills State University freshman Jonah Theisen.
After finishing 17th in the steeplechase at the 2015 NCAA II Outdoor Championships, Broughton found himself challenging for the lead throughout the first five laps of the seven-lap competition. He briefly held the lead going into the water jump midway through the race before falling back in the last two laps.
In a race that featured four student athletes from the Midwest Region, Broughton was the top finisher from the region as he edged the GLVC champion, Lewis University junior Michael Leet, who was seventh with a time of 9:00.71.
Broughton’s effort gave the No. 11 Screaming Eagles three more team points, bringing their total to eight. USI, which is in a tie for 12th in the men’s standings and 16th in the women’s standings through two days of action, concludes the NCAA II Outdoor Championships Saturday as seniors Johnnie Guy (Palmyra, Indiana) and Tyler Pence (Springfield, Illinois) compete in the men’s 5,000 meters and sophomore Emily Roberts (Fredericktown, Ohio) competes in the women’s 5,000 meters.
