Gochenour happy despite guest status
FAYETTEVILLE — She already has graduated, but Alex Gochenour finally found her way into Arkansas’ record book Friday at John McDonnell Field.
The former All-American won the 100-meter hurdles with a facility-record time of 13.13 seconds in the first leg of the heptathlon at the Thorpe Cup. It was part of a 3,526-point day for Gochenour.
“I ran a 12.98 at [the SEC Outdoor Championship], and ever since then I’ve been in a rut,” Gochenour said. “I’ve been stuck around 13.3, 13.4, so to be able to break that, I was really pumped.”
She is in fourth place overall, but her score will not contribute to Team USA’s team score in the head-to-head competition with Germany.
The Germans have only three competitors, so Gochenour and Tatum Souza are participating as guests because they were the lowest American finishers at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
“All I know is I have the uniform, and it says I’m Team USA,” Gochenour said. “That’s all that counts at this point. That, and I’m in good position, so hey, I guess [it’s] their loss.”
The American women have a 1,178-point lead through four events of the heptathlon and appear to be on the way to winning their seventh consecutive Thorpe Cup.
Chantae McMillan is the individual leader with 3,810 points. Team USA’s sixth-place woman, Annie Kunz, is 106 points ahead of Germany’s top scorer, Sophie Hamann, who scored 3,374.
The men also have a large lead after Day One. Through five events of the decathlon, Team USA leads Germany by 1,041 points. They are trying to snap a six-year losing streak to the Germans.
With 4,298 points, Scott Filip leads a group of six Americans ahead of Rene Stauss, Germany’s top scorer at 3,935.
“This has definitely been
the most exciting meet for team camaraderie that I’ve ever been a part of,” Filip said. “We’re out there screaming, and everyone is out there clapping. It’s an awesome atmosphere to compete in.”
The heptathlon’s lineup also features an Olympian in town for a final tune-up before leaving for Rio on Tuesday.
Barbara Nwaba, who won the U.S. Olympic Trials and will compete for the U.S. at the Olympics next month, competed in the 100-meter hurdles and shot put and will do the long jump today at 5 p.m. The 2014 Thorpe Cup individual winner’s contributions do not count toward this year’s competition.
She said McDonnell Field was a perfect place to hone her skills before the games.
“I have never been to a facility like this,” Nwaba said. “I’m kind of in awe. It’s nothing like where I went, [University of California-Santa Barbara], so it’s definitely different, but I think it’s a great facility and great place to be.”