NCAA Outdoor Championships
McCarthy Secures Spot in NCAA Finals
6/7/2023 7:47:00 PM | Track and Field
AUSTIN, Texas — Aidan McCarthy is moving on to the NCAA Finals.
During the men's 800-meter semifinals Wednesday night at Mike A. Meyers Stadium in Austin, McCarthy continued his historic season by winning heat three to secure his spot in the finals on Friday.
McCarthy, who entered the semifinals seeded No. 1, posted a time of 1:47.60, the second fastest recorded in the semifinals, to book his ticket to the 800 finals — becoming the first Mustang in program history to do so. In the process, McCarthy also guaranteed himself at least Second Team All-American honors in the event.
McCarthy is the first Mustang to qualify for the finals in an event on the track since Ben Bruce in the men's 3,000 steeplechase in 2005.
McCarthy qualified for the NCAA Championships by placing first at the NCAA West Prelims, allowing him to lock up the title of the first athlete in Division I program history to earn All-American honors in the men's 800.
The school record holder in the 800 and 1,500 will now get a day of rest before competing in the NCAA Finals on Friday at 7:14 p.m. PDT. You can watch him race live on ESPN 2.
On Friday, McCarthy will be seeking to become the fourth athlete in Cal Poly track and field history to claim a Division I outdoor national title. If McCarthy finishes in the top eight, he would become the first Mustang since Aris Borjas in 2007 to secure First Team All-American honors.
A watch party is being held Friday at Cal Poly's Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex to cheer on McCarthy. The race will be shown on the video board at the facility and more details will be released Thursday.
Players Mentioned
