Tallman Claims National Title in 400m at NCAA Championship
Washington and Lee senior Zander Tallman came from behind in the final stretch to win the national title in the 400m on the final day of the NCAA Division III Track and Field National Championship hosted by Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday, May 24.
Running in lane five, Tallman trailed sophomore Joe Carr of SUNY Oneonta after making the final turn. In the last 100m, Tallman closed the gap, and overtook Carr in the final 10 meters to win the national championship with a new W&L record time of 47.19. His previous school record was 47.35 set on May 8 at the Dr. Keeler Invitational.
With the victory, Tallman secured the first individual national championship in Washington and Lee men’s track and field history, and became the first national champion in any sport for the Generals since Alex Sweet ’08 won the 50 meter title for the men’s swimming program in 2008.
Along with the individual title, Tallman received All-America honors for the second time this season. He placed third in the 400m at the NCAA Division III Indoor National Championship to earn the honor earlier this year.
Senior Kevin Sullivan (Sandwich, Mass./Tabor) also competed at the championship on Saturday in the javelin. He finished 13th overall with a toss of 57.73m (189’05.00″). First-year Mitchell Obenrader of Penn State-Behrend won the event with a mark of 67.01m (219’10.00″).
The Generals were tied for 25th place with 10 points after 19 scored events.
