Schalois and Molinaro earn All-America honors to lead Men's Outdoor Track & Field on final day of 2017 NCAA Div. III Outdoor Track & Field National Championships
By Caleb Scott
GENEVA — Senior Kase Schalois (Van Wert) and junior Matt Molinaro (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle) each posted top-3 finishes in their respective events to earn All-American honors on the final day of the 2017 NCAA Div. III Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
As a team, Northern set a school-record with 12 total team points at the championships.
The Polar Bears finished tied for 23rd in the team standings with 12 points.
Molinaro owned the fastest time heading into the finals for the 800-meter run and was edged at the finish line before finishing third in 1:51.39.
"We got out pretty fast the first 200 and it felt really good," said Molinaro. "After the first 200 we started to slow down a bit and I think that's what hurt me. It's not easy to get out fast and then slow down like that. Obviously the goal is the same heading into next year. I want to win a title and I'm ready to work hard to get there."
Schalois also earned All-America honors and finished third overall in the 3,000-meter steeplechase for the Polar Bears.
The senior took third place in the event in 9:07.72.
"This feels so great," said Schalois. "I can't ask for a better way to end my time here. It's all still kind of surreal for me still and hasn't really sunk in. I can say I put it all on the line today and I couldn't be more happy with the result."
"That was incredible," said head coach Jason Maus. "Kase had a really smooth and patient race. This is tremendous. For a kid who has come such a long way and came off an injury from last year, this is a great way for him to end his career."
Senior Lucas Shumate competed in the hammer throw and posted an 11th place finish in the event.
The senior finished 11th overall with a toss of 178' 0.25".
"Not throwing until the last day gave me a chance to really enjoy this meet," said Shumate. "I got to see a lot of good competition and enjoy the first few days cheering on my teammates. Having done this once before kind of took off the pressure of this meet and it was a little more laid back for me. I'm happy with the outcome really enjoyed this meet."
"We had some pretty solid performances this weekend on the men's side," said Maus. "This is the most points we have ever scored at the national meet and we are really happy about that. Lucas had a really good day and improved on his seed coming in. Kase just had a phenomenal race for us. Matt didn't finish where he wanted to but he still had a great race. His expectations are really high because he knows how good he can be. Overall we are very happy with the way this season went."
