ALLENDALE, Mich. – Ranked ninth entering the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships meet, Josh Uikilifi knew he had a chance of getting to the podium in the shot put. The senior did just that as he garnered an All-American award with an eighth place finish on Saturday at Grand Valley State Stadium.

Uikilifi was just shy of his seasonal best, but the 17.41-meter, or 57 feet 1 1/2 inches mark was good enough for eighth best on the day. The award is sweet especially when he narrowly missed out on getting to the post-event awards ceremony on Thursday when he was ninth in the hammer throw.

On Saturday, Uikilifi's third attempt of 17.29 meters got him into the top 9 for the finals flight. He then fouled on his first two tries in finals before launching his best on the day of 17.41 for eighth. Christopher Reed of Minnesota State won in 19.93m (65-4 3/4).

Two other Stanislaus men also competed in field events on Championship Saturday. Sophomore Deon Pinder, who was 14th in the long jump on Thursday, was 10th in the triple jump. He made three jumps on the day but was just 1/2 inch away from qualifying for finals. His top mark was 15.22m (49-11 1/4). In the javelin throw, Billy Hilton had an off day with a top throw of 177 feet, 4 inches (54.05m) to finish 20th.

NCAA DIvision II Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Cal State Stanislaus Qualifiers

Completed (Saturday)
Name Event Mark Rank Notes
Billy Hilton Javelin 54.05m (177-4) 20
Josh Uikilifi Shot Put 17.41m (57-1 1/2) 8 All-American
Deon Pinder Triple Jump 15.22m (49-11 1/4) 10

Completed (Friday)
Name Event Time Rank Notes
Abraham Alvarado 800m 1:54.55 17

Completed (Thursday)
Name Event Mark Finish
Deon Pinder Long Jump 7.20 m (23-7 1/2) 14
Josh Uikilifi Hammer Throw 58.80 m (192-11) 9