Ben Saarel left it all out on the track two days ago in his quest to reach a championship heat at the NCAA finals for the first time.
While the Colorado junior achieved that milestone feat, Saarel was unable to keep his momentum Friday in the final of the men's 1,500-meter run in Eugene, Ore. After finishing fifth in the prelims on Wednesday, Saarel fell to eighth in Friday's championship heat.
Saarel crossed the finish line in 3 minutes, 44.78 seconds. He posted a mark of 3:40.71 in the prelims.
CU very nearly earned three top-10 finishes in the men's 5,000-meter run on Friday night, as sophomores Joe Klecker and John Dressel finished seventh and eighth, respectively.