High Point University freshman
Dakota Peachee (Garner, N.C./West Johnston) of the men's track & field team competed in the World Junior Championship, placing 15th in his preliminary heat of the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Friday morning in Moncton, Canada.
Peachee's heat featured some of the top under-20-year-old distance runners in the world. The race was won by Albert Kiptoo Yator of Kenya in a time of 8:40.92. The race went out quickly and Peachee stayed with the lead pack into the third lap. After that point, he struggled and finished in 9:27.68. Peachee did not advance to the finals.
"Dakota was very disappointed with his race. We felt like we did the right things to prepare, but it didn't work out today," said HPU head coach Mike Esposito. "We're going to evaluate the training and the race and use it as a learning experience. Dakota had some major breakthroughs this spring and it was a big honor to compete for the U.S. on the world stage. At this point we're going to begin getting ready for the cross country season."
Peachee won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the USATF Junior National Championship in Des Moines, Iowa in June. He became HPU's first-ever junior national champion and first competitor at the World Junior Championship.
Peachee ran under 9:00 on two occasions this spring, including the first round of the NCAA Championship, where he placed 23rd in his HPU-record time of 8:58.72. Peachee finished second among freshmen in that race.