NCAA Outdoor Championships
McCarthy Earns First Team All-American Honors in 800
6/9/2023 8:47:00 PM | Track and Field
AUSTIN, Texas — Aidan McCarthy capped off a sensational redshirt sophomore campaign Friday night at Mike A. Myers Stadium, placing seventh in the men's 800-meter at the NCAA Finals.
The finish allowed McCarthy to earn First Team All-American honors and become the first Cal Poly man since Aris Borjas in 2007 (men's javelin) to secure First Team praise. He is also the first Mustang overall to capture First Team All-American accolades since Jasmine Pickett in 2011 (women's triple jump).
The Pleasanton, Calif. native crossed the finish line with a time of 1:46.78, just 0.52 seconds off his own school record, to become Cal Poly's first First Team All-American in the men's 800 in Division I program history.
McCarthy's performance also allowed the Mustang men to score team points at the NCAA Championships for the 12th time in Division I program history and for the first time since 2007.
McCarthy punched his ticket to the NCAA Finals on Wednesday night by winning his heat in the semifinals and running the second fastest time. That performance allowed him to become the first Cal Poly man to qualify for the NCAA Finals in an event on the track since Ben Bruce in 2005 (men's 3,000 steeplechase), and the first overall since Peyton Bilo in 2017 (women's 10,000).
On top of breaking the school record in the 800 this season, McCarthy shattered the program record in the men's 1,500, became the first Mustang to run a sub four-minute mile and captured his second straight Big West title in the 800. He also became the first Mustang in school history to place first in an event at the NCAA West Prelims.
Players Mentioned
