From NYU Athletics

Neil Saddler of the New York University men's track & field team brought his (and NYU's) 2016-17 varsity season to a close at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, hosted by the University of Mount Union in Geneva, OH, on Saturday, May 27.

The San Diego, CA, native finished 16th out of 20 runners in the 5,000m, clocking a time of 15:09.33. Williams College's Peter Hale captured the event with a time of 14:15.38.

"This is probably not the ending on a high note he wanted," said Head Coach Erison Hurtault.  "Getting here, though, is another big step in his career. Neil did a lot of work the past few weeks just to get here."

Saddler qualified for the NCAA Championships finals with a time of 14:21.95, which he posted at the Swarthmore Final Qualifier. The time ranked as the 13th fastest in the nation and was a personal best. 
 
During the season, the junior also captured the SPIRE North Coast Indoor Open 3,000m title in January and the Vassar Twilight 5,000m title earlier in May. Saddler posted career-best times in the indoor mile (4:19.10), indoor 3,000m (8:31.92) and outdoor 5,000m during his 2016-17 campaign.

"Neil is always consistent," said Hurtault. "He was always a very solid performer at the UAA level, but the past few weeks he performed at another level to be ranked high in the country.

"He is a guy who is leading the rise of the distance program," continued Hurtault. "We haven't had someone qualify in a distance event in three years, and we had two this year. This program is headed in the right direction under John Trautman. I am very excited to see Neil next year."

Saddler's competition on Saturday marked the final activity of the academic year for all of NYU's men's and women's varsity teams and its student-athletes.