University of Memphis Athletics
Photo by: Rick Morgan
Vaughn To Compete At USA Championships
Jun 23, 2018 | Men's Track and Field
NCAA men's discus champion to throw Sunday afternoon.
Live Results
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – University of Memphis track and field standout and NCAA champion Luke Vaughn competes one final time as a Tiger at this weekend's 2018 USA Track and Field Championships. The action takes place on the Drake University campus in Des Moines, Iowa.
Vaughn, who claimed the NCAA men's discus title June 8, begins his event at 2:20 p.m. (CT) Sunday.
Former Tigers All-America Carolina Carmichael Moll also is in action at the USA Track and Field Championships Sunday. Carmichael Moll is competing in the women's pole vault that starts at 1:55 p.m. (CT). She holds school records in both the indoor and outdoor pole vault and was a four-time American Athletic Conference champion in the event (2015 indoor; 2014-16 outdoor).
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Head coach Kevin Robinson comments
"It's bittersweet right now. Luke's had a phenomenal career at Memphis, and it's coming to an end. Luke has stepped up this year and helped the team a lot. To do what he did individually at the NCAA Championships and also help the team to a top-20 finish was tremendous. He's had one of the most distinguished careers at Memphis.
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"Our goal entering this weekend's championships is to remain relaxed. Luke is ready to compete at a really high level. This meet is the biggest one on U.S. soil, and Luke is going against the 'best-of-the-best' the U.S. has to offer. This is the first time Luke is competing at this meet, and it's different from the other meets he's been in, including the NCAA Championships. As long as he handles the moment and competes with maturity as he has all season, Luke has a good shot at making the final and prove he deserves to be among that group. He can put himself in a good situation if he does what he's been doing the past couple of months.
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"I'm excited for Luke. No matter what happens this weekend, it can't take away from what he's already accomplished. But, he's not done yet. His practices leading up to the championships have been solid, and he's hungry to prove himself."
Below lists the accomplishments of Vaughn's outstanding collegiate career at Memphis:
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – University of Memphis track and field standout and NCAA champion Luke Vaughn competes one final time as a Tiger at this weekend's 2018 USA Track and Field Championships. The action takes place on the Drake University campus in Des Moines, Iowa.
Vaughn, who claimed the NCAA men's discus title June 8, begins his event at 2:20 p.m. (CT) Sunday.
Former Tigers All-America Carolina Carmichael Moll also is in action at the USA Track and Field Championships Sunday. Carmichael Moll is competing in the women's pole vault that starts at 1:55 p.m. (CT). She holds school records in both the indoor and outdoor pole vault and was a four-time American Athletic Conference champion in the event (2015 indoor; 2014-16 outdoor).
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Head coach Kevin Robinson comments
"It's bittersweet right now. Luke's had a phenomenal career at Memphis, and it's coming to an end. Luke has stepped up this year and helped the team a lot. To do what he did individually at the NCAA Championships and also help the team to a top-20 finish was tremendous. He's had one of the most distinguished careers at Memphis.
Â
"Our goal entering this weekend's championships is to remain relaxed. Luke is ready to compete at a really high level. This meet is the biggest one on U.S. soil, and Luke is going against the 'best-of-the-best' the U.S. has to offer. This is the first time Luke is competing at this meet, and it's different from the other meets he's been in, including the NCAA Championships. As long as he handles the moment and competes with maturity as he has all season, Luke has a good shot at making the final and prove he deserves to be among that group. He can put himself in a good situation if he does what he's been doing the past couple of months.
Â
"I'm excited for Luke. No matter what happens this weekend, it can't take away from what he's already accomplished. But, he's not done yet. His practices leading up to the championships have been solid, and he's hungry to prove himself."
Below lists the accomplishments of Vaughn's outstanding collegiate career at Memphis:
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- 2018 NCAA champion in the discus
- Three-time All-American in the discus (2014 and 2015 second team; 2018 first team)
- Seven-time NCAA East Preliminaries qualifier (4 discus/3 shot put)
- 28 career titles in all of his throws events combined (indoor/outdoor), including the NCAA crown
- Placed 15that the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships and 14that the 2015 national meet
- 2018 American Athletic Conference Male Most Valuable Performer
- Five-time American Athletic Conference throws champion
- Won gold at the league outdoor meet in the discus in 2015 and 2018 and shot put in 2016 and 2018
- Also won gold at the indoor meet in the shot put in 2018
- 12-time American Athletic Conference medalist (5 gold/3 silver/4 bronze)
- Holds three school records in the indoor shot put, outdoor shot put and outdoor discus – all set in 2018
- Posted the indoor (61-5; 18.72m) and outdoor (61-11.75; 18.89m) shot put records in winning league titles at both conference meets
- Recorded the discus record (204-0; 62.18m) at the Mt. SAC Relays in mid-April
- 2018 Zach Curlin Award recipient, given annually to Memphis Athletics top male student-athlete
- Four-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team member
- Two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree (2013-14, 2014-15)
- Received his bachelor's degree business management in the spring of 2017
- Earned his Master of Arts in teaching in the spring of 2018
Players Mentioned
Throws
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