FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Throughout his career, Declan Neary has proven to be one of Lamar's most decorated track and field athletes in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. So, it was only fitting that Neary would run his last event in the 3000-meter steeplechase on the third day at the NCAA West Regional Preliminaries.

This season, the Englishman from Yorkshire had finished in the top 10 in the steeplechase four times in each of the meets he took part in. His fifth and final time would see him compete ranked 48th in the nation.

Neary had a good start to the race completing the first half-lap in 36.93 seconds, But in the end, he ultimately finished 12th place in his heat and 39th place overall with a time of 9:09.82 seconds.

While Neary's time as a Cardinal is over, his last race was worth it for the hardwork that he had to get to this point. "It feels surreal to think that this was my last race for Lamar," said Neary. "But I'm glad I got to extend it by qualifying for this meet. I've enjoyed my time here, and have had valuable experiences while forming lifelong friendships along the way. I want to thank our coaches for giving me the opportunity to pursue my academic and athletic goals."

Assistant coach Andrew Sweeney was also pleased that Neary was able to accomplish his goal of reaching the NCAA Regionals in this meet. "It was really special watching Declan compete today," he said. "We first talked about him trying out steeplechase during the indoor season, with the goal of making it to this meet. To see him not only qualify, but also finish within the top-40, was a great conclusion to an accomplished career at Lamar."

Only one Cardinal has yet to compete in the regionals. Tomorrow at 5:40 PM, Yasmin Austridge will run in the women's portion of the steeplechase.
 

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