Eastern Michigan Athletics
Wednesday, June 8
Eugene, Ore.
All Day
Eastern Michigan University
at
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Photo by: Walt Middleton Photography
Simmons Sits Eighth After Day One of NCAA Championships
6/8/2016 11:40:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
The redshirt senior sits eighth in the decathlon with five events to go
Complete Results
Photo Gallery.
EUGENE, Ore. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's track and field team began competition today, June 8, at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon. The Eagles had a pair of competitors take part in two events, the 3000m steeplechase semifinals and the decathlon.
The 3000m steeplechase semifinals featured redshirt junior Willy Fink (Maumee, Ohio–Maumee), fresh off his career-best time of 8:40.60 at the NCAA East Regional, May 27. This time around, Fink clocked in at 8:52.43, putting him in 19th of a very tough, talented field of the top runners in the nation, and ending his season just shy of the finals.
"Fink gave a really good effort today, but had some trouble with the water jump, which was costly," explained Head Coach John Goodridge. "It is unfortunate for his great season to end on this note, but he deserves to be proud of qualifying to the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row."
Moving to the decathlon, redshirt senior Solomon Simmons (Murrieta, Calif.–Murrieta Valley), one of the Green and White's best decathlete in program history, began the grueling 10-event competition with the 100m dash. The Murrieta, Calif. native placed eighth in the opening event, clocking in at 10.88 seconds to pick up 888 points. From there, Simmons posted a career-best long jump of 7.03 meters/ 23 feet 0.75-inches, nabbing him 11th in the field of 24. He then continued the trend in the shot put, posting a personal-best throw of 15.15 meters/ 49 feet 8.5-inches to finish second.
Moving to the high jump, Simmons posted a mark of 1.89 meters/ 6 feet 2.25-inches, which was good for 16th. Heading into the final event on the day, he sat in eighth place with a total of 3213 points, just over 200 behind the leader. Simmons went on to win his heat in the 400m dash, crossing the finish line in 49.37 seconds, good for eighth overall. After the conclusion of the first five events, Simmons sat eighth with a total of 4057 points, less than 300 points behind the leader from Wisconsin.
"Simmons had a very encouraging first day, so we are looking forward to the continuation of the event tomorrow," remarked Goodridge.
Simmons will finish off the second half of the decathlon tomorrow, June 9. The redshirt senior will get things started at 1:30 p.m. ET with the 110m hurdles.
EMU Individual Results (* denotes a personal best)
Event Mark Points
3000m Steeplechase Semifinals
19. Willy Fink 8:52.43
Decathlon 100m Dash
8. Solomon Simmons 10.88 888
Decathlon Long Jump
11. Solomon Simmons 7.03m/ 23-00.75* 821
Decathlon Shot Put
2. Solomon Simmons 15.15m/ 49-08.50* 799
Decathlon High Jump
16. Solomon Simmons 1.89m/ 6-02.25 705
Decathlon 400m Dash
8. Solomon Simmons 49.37 844
Decathlon Day One
8. Solomon Simmons 4057
Photo Gallery.
EUGENE, Ore. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's track and field team began competition today, June 8, at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon. The Eagles had a pair of competitors take part in two events, the 3000m steeplechase semifinals and the decathlon.
The 3000m steeplechase semifinals featured redshirt junior Willy Fink (Maumee, Ohio–Maumee), fresh off his career-best time of 8:40.60 at the NCAA East Regional, May 27. This time around, Fink clocked in at 8:52.43, putting him in 19th of a very tough, talented field of the top runners in the nation, and ending his season just shy of the finals.
"Fink gave a really good effort today, but had some trouble with the water jump, which was costly," explained Head Coach John Goodridge. "It is unfortunate for his great season to end on this note, but he deserves to be proud of qualifying to the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row."
Moving to the decathlon, redshirt senior Solomon Simmons (Murrieta, Calif.–Murrieta Valley), one of the Green and White's best decathlete in program history, began the grueling 10-event competition with the 100m dash. The Murrieta, Calif. native placed eighth in the opening event, clocking in at 10.88 seconds to pick up 888 points. From there, Simmons posted a career-best long jump of 7.03 meters/ 23 feet 0.75-inches, nabbing him 11th in the field of 24. He then continued the trend in the shot put, posting a personal-best throw of 15.15 meters/ 49 feet 8.5-inches to finish second.
Moving to the high jump, Simmons posted a mark of 1.89 meters/ 6 feet 2.25-inches, which was good for 16th. Heading into the final event on the day, he sat in eighth place with a total of 3213 points, just over 200 behind the leader. Simmons went on to win his heat in the 400m dash, crossing the finish line in 49.37 seconds, good for eighth overall. After the conclusion of the first five events, Simmons sat eighth with a total of 4057 points, less than 300 points behind the leader from Wisconsin.
"Simmons had a very encouraging first day, so we are looking forward to the continuation of the event tomorrow," remarked Goodridge.
Simmons will finish off the second half of the decathlon tomorrow, June 9. The redshirt senior will get things started at 1:30 p.m. ET with the 110m hurdles.
EMU Individual Results (* denotes a personal best)
Event Mark Points
3000m Steeplechase Semifinals
19. Willy Fink 8:52.43
Decathlon 100m Dash
8. Solomon Simmons 10.88 888
Decathlon Long Jump
11. Solomon Simmons 7.03m/ 23-00.75* 821
Decathlon Shot Put
2. Solomon Simmons 15.15m/ 49-08.50* 799
Decathlon High Jump
16. Solomon Simmons 1.89m/ 6-02.25 705
Decathlon 400m Dash
8. Solomon Simmons 49.37 844
Decathlon Day One
8. Solomon Simmons 4057
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Multis
/ Men's Track & FieldTrack & Field at 2025 Spartan Invitational
Tuesday, April 08
2025 MAC Indoor Track & Field Championships Cinematic Recap
Wednesday, March 05
2025 MAC Indoor Track & Field Championships Day 1 Highlights
Saturday, March 01
2025 MAC Indoor Championships Hype Video
Wednesday, February 26