TAMPA, Fla. – ULM's Alton Clay narrowly missed an opportunity to take part in the men's hammer throw at the 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, by 16 inches on Thursday. Clay finished 13th at the East Preliminary Championships, held at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla.; however, only the top 12 qualifiers advance to the NCAA Championships June 6-9.
Clay enjoyed a personal-record heave of 217-feet, 5-inches (66.27 meters) in the hammer throw; however, it was 1-3 shy of tying Michael Shanahan (New Hampshire), who grabbed the 12th and final spot out of the East Preliminary with a toss of 218-8 (66.