NCAA Championship Preview | Men's Steeple - Syracuse University Athletics

Men's 3000-meter steeplechase | Semis-Wednesday-8:02 p.m | Finals-Friday-8:54 p.m
Syracuse Competitors: Aidan Tooker - 11th seed (8:45.79), Noah Affolder - 12th seed (8:46.22)
Top Seed: Matt Owens (8:39.41), BYU
Format: Two heats, top five from each heat, plus next two fastest times advance to Friday.

Other Event Previews: 10k | 110-meter hurdles | Women's 3000M Steeplechase

The Competition:

Tooker and Affolder easily took their heat in first and second at the NCAA East Prelims to automatically qualify for Eugene.
They're in different heats this time around, with Tooker in heat one and Affolder in heat two.
- Yusuke Uchikoshi – who set the nation's best time this season at the Stanford Invitational - is not competing, leaving BYU's Matt Owens as the nation's fastest competitor this season. Owens will race against Affolder in heat two in the semis.
Tulane's Emmanuel Rotch is the next-fastest competitor in the event, but he wasn't in the same heat as the Orange duo at regionals and has yet to face them head-to-head this season. He's also in heat two.
At the Virginia Challenge, Tooker was the top collegian, while Hampton's Wesley Kirui finished third overall between Tooker and Affolder. He's in heat one, while other runners that the 'Cuse duo bested in that meet (Simeon Roberts, ETSU; Andrew Bowman, Oakland; and Max Bowman, Michigan State) are all in heat two with Affolder.
No other ACC competitors are in this event.
At the NCAA East Prelims, Tooker and Affolder defeated Ole Miss' Scott Parker in their heat, he's also in heat two.

Affolder's Season:

Affolder has shown why he was such a prized recruit out of high school, coming on strong at the tail end of his outdoor campaign. The true freshman was recovering from an injury suffered in high school during the summer and into the fall, now he's making the most of what's left of his first year at SU with back-to-back wins.
He won his heat at the NCAA East Prelims in a PR time of 8:45.88 to earn the automatic spot to Eugene.
He also claimed the ACC Championship in the event (8:46.22).

Tooker's Season

This is his second straight appearance, as a sophomore, in the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Tooker placed in 21st as a freshman in the NCAA Championships in 2017.
After suffering a fall at the tail end of his ACC Championship race, Tooker rebounded strong to take second in the event.
He also took second to Affolder in the NCAA East Prelims as the two set the pace for the majority of the event, leaving little doubt come the final lap about getting to Eugene.

More on Tooker:

The sophomore was an Honorable Mention All-American in this event during his true freshman season last year.
He started his year with a strong fourth-place finish in the 5k at the Stanford Invitational in March, before racing to be the top-collegian in the steeplechase at the Virginia Challenge.
Besides taking runner-up in the steeple at the ACC Championship, Tooker came back the following day and finished fourth in the 5k to help lead 'Cuse to a second-place finish as a team.

More on Affolder:

This is the first NCAA Championships for Affolder.
After racing just twice in the XC season as he recovered from an injury suffered in high school, Affolder has come on strong in the outdoor campaign.
He claimed his first ACC Championship in the 3000-meter steeplechase in May, helping the Orange to a second-place finish as a team.

NCAA Championship Preview | Men's Steeple

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Players Mentioned

Noah Affolder

Aidan Tooker

Syracuse University Athletics

NCAA Championship Preview | Men's Steeple

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Noah Affolder

Aidan Tooker

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