By Erik Sather
NAU-TV
Running was the fourth sport a teenage Tyler Day tried at his Gilbert high school. It turned out to be the right fit for the Lumberjack cross country standout, who has been a part of two national championships and on Wednesday competed in the NCAA championship in Eugene, Oregon, in which he came in fourth with a time of 28:39.03. Was it thanks to his hair? Hear Day talk about his hairdo.
He qualified for the 10,000-meter national championship run last week at the NCAA West preliminary, where he came in sixth with a time of 29:15.25, a second behind the first-place qualifier and .03 seconds behind teammate Matt Baxter. Baxter finished in 28:39.35, earning a fifth-place finish.
Day and Baxter, both All-Americans, were joined by freshman Luis Grijalva, who earned an All-American honorable mention in his 15th-place finish in the 1,500-meter semifinal. Read more about the meet and the other Lumberjacks competing.