KINGSVILLE, Texas – A pair of Western Washington University javelin throwers earned All-America honors to close out the final day of competition on Saturday at the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Javelina Stadium on the Texas A&M-Kingsville campus.
 
Senior Alex Barry (Sequim, WA) finished 9^th in the men's javelin and junior Amanda Short (Lebanon, OR) was 10^th in the women's competition, both earning Second Team All-America honors.
 
WWU's long tradition of success in the javelin saw four student-athletes in action on Saturday, with Barry and Short leading the way. A Viking javelin thrower has earned All-America honors in eight of the last nine seasons for the women and five of the last six for the men.
 
Junior Raquel Pellecer (Sandy, OR) finished 15^th with a top throw of 43.95m/144-2 and freshman Paige Shimkus (Stanwood, WA/Lakewood) was 16^th with a top mark of 43.93m/144-1.
 
Barry became a two-time All-American, adding Saturday's 9^th-place performance his 4^th-place finish from last season. Entering the meet seeded 17^th after only making two throws during the season due to an elbow injury, Barry secured the last qualifying spot to move on to the finals with a throw of 61.07m/200-4 on his third attempt. Looking to move up to the top eight to earn First Team All-America honors, Barry fouled twice and passed once in the final round to finish 9^th. He ends his WWU career as a three-time competitor at the national meet, a three-time All-GNAC selection and a two-time All-American. He is 2^nd in the WWU top 10 with a career-best mark of 68.38m/224-4 set at the 2018 NCAA II Championships.
 
Short narrowly missed the final round of competition, recording the 10^th-best mark after her first three throws. She recorded best mark of 45.06m/147-10 on her third throw, falling just over three inches short of the ninth spot. In her first year competing for Western, Short recorded a career-best mark of 47.62m/156-3 at the Ralph Vernacchia Track & Field Meet to rank 8^th in WWU history. This was Short's second trip to the NCAA II Championships, placing 19^th in 2015 while competing for Western Oregon where she was also a volleyball player.
 
WWU had seven total student-athletes compete at the 2019 NCAA II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, with the following results:

• Alex Barry, Men's Javelin (9^th, 61.07m/200-4) – Second Team All-America
• Amanda Short, Women's Javelin (10^th, 45.06m/147-10) – Second Team All-America
• Maddie Taylor, Women's High Jump (T13^th, 1.64m/5-4.5)
• Raquel Pellecer, Women's Javelin (15^th, 43.95m/144-2)
• Paige Shimkus, Women's Javelin (16^th, 43.93m/144-1)
• Karlington Anunagba, Men's 100m (20^th, 12.41)
• Cordell Cummings, Men's 400m Hurdles (DQ)

 
The national meet concluded the 2019 season for the WWU Track & Field program, which featured the men's squad winning the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Indoor and Outdoor Championships.