MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - On the final day of the 2024 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Doug Shaw Stadium in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, junior Reza Eshghi competed in the 1,500 meter final after qualifying for the final run by finishing third in the first of two preliminary heats with a time of 3:53.97 just two days ago. Eshghi earned a Second-Team All-American selection for the 1500 meters, the second second-team All-American designation of his career.
Eshghi emerged from the pack of 12 runners right out of the gate, keeping hold of second place with a steady pace. The junior went neck-and-neck with eventual winner, top-seeded Sam Llaneza of Lynchburg, for about 1,000 of the 1,500 meters. With just under 300 meters to go, the pack started to close in on the middle-distance runner, bumping elbows left and right. Running out of real estate to make a move to the outside, Eshghi got tangled up in the middle of the pack and stumbled, and was unfortunately not able to finish the race.
Llaneza of Lynchburg crossed the finish line first with a time of 3:51.05, while Eric Anderson of UC Santa Cruz came in second with a time of 3:51.93. Grabbing the bronze in the event was Colin Kirkpatrick of Pomona-Pitzer, sprinting to a time of 3:52.25.
The Second-Team All-American honor caps off an incredible season for Eshghi, who first saw success this year by qualifying for the NCAA Cross Country Championship in November. After capturing a Centennial Conference Track Athlete of the Week nod in late January, the middle-distance runner captured all-conference honors and USTFCCCA All-Metro Region honors in the 3,000 meters and mile, en route to competing in the mile at the 2024 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field championships. The Lincoln, Mass. product secured his first USTFCCCA Second-team All-America distinction after finishing 13th in the NCAA Championship Mile prelims.
In the spring, Eshghi picked up another Centennial Conference Track Athlete of the Week in late April, before taking home the gold in both the 1,500 meters and 5,000 meters at the Centennial Conference championships in May. A 2024 USTFCCCA All-Metro Region First-team All-Centennial honoree, Eshghi will be back and hungry for a national championship in his senior season in 2024-25.