GREENSBORO, N.C. – Isabelle Deal made history as Ursinus' first javelin All-American on Thursday night, finishing in eighth place at the NCAA outdoor championships to permanently etch her name into program lore.
Deal came in seeded 16th but vastly outperformed her projection, marking 135-01 on her sixth and final throw of the evening on the campus of North Carolina A&T. It was enough to finish in eighth, the last All-American slot and an unforgettable capper to a remarkable sophomore campaign.
Deal is the fourth outdoor All-American in school history, joining Rachelle Pecovsky (1995; shot put), Kate Dougherty (2003; 10k), and Victoria Goodenough (2013; 100 hurdles) as Bears to reach the national pinnacle. Her second-year resume includes Centennial Conference gold medals in the javelin and shot put as well as All-Mideast Region status in both events.
Deal was one of two All-Americans from the Centennial Conference; Johns Hopkins' Veronica Montane placed third. They are two of eight javelin All-Americans in conference history, and the first since 2014.