June 9, 2007

Saturday's Results

Complete 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championship Resutls

Sacramento, Calif. - Sophomore Lesiba Masheto finished fourth in the 400m final at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday, the last of four days of competition at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex on the campus of Sacramento State University.

Masheto ran a time of 45.51, just off his personal best of 45.41, to improve on his fifth place finish at the indoor national championships and earn All-America status for the second time in his career. He had the difficult task of running in lane eight for the final, just as he did at the Mideast Regional meet, but he was able to use that experience to his advantage.

"I'm very pleased with his finish today," said Illinois head coach Wayne Angel of Masheto. "Being in lane eight, we didn't want a repeat of what happened at regionals. He ran a smart, technical race and I'm very proud of him. He's done some great things in a short time since his arrival in Champaign and he's got a great future ahead of him."

"I think today went pretty well," said Masheto, a native of Botswana. "Coach had me do some training in lane eight after regionals and that helped me a lot. This was my first NCAA outdoor meet and it is a very tough meet. Now I know what to expect in terms of competition, so I think next year will be even better."

Today concludes the NCAA season for the Fighting Illini, but some student-athletes will be competing in the USATF Junior and Senior Nationals June 21-24 in Indianapolis, Ind. Masheto, meanwhile, will head back home next month to compete in the African Championships and plans on running at the World University Games and World Championships later this summer.

2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships Day 4 Illinois Results // Saturday, June 9, 2007

400m Final
4. Lesiba Masheto 45.51 - 5 points
All-American