Late Kick Lifts Windle Into IAAF Worlds Semifinals

Drew Windle (Kyle Terwillegar/USTFCCCA photo)
Drew Windle (Kyle Terwillegar/USTFCCCA photo)

LINK – ASHLAND UNIVERSITY TRACK AND FIELD PAGE 

LINK – 2017 IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SITE

Former Ashland University track standout Drew Windle made quite the impression on an international stage on Saturday (Aug. 5) morning.

Windle, competing for Team USA at the 2017 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships in London, England, finished third in the first heat of the first round of the men's 800-meter run, automatically qualifying him for the semifinals on Sunday (Aug. 6).

Coming back from seventh at the 400-meter mark and sixth going into the final turn, Windle crossed the finish line in 1:46.08, edging out fourth-place Abdessalem Ayouni of Tunisia (1:46.19). Windle's time was 13th-best among all runners competing on Saturday.

The semifinals of the men's 800 run are slated for Sunday at 4:15 p.m. Eastern, and the Worlds will be televised live Sunday from 2:30-5 p.m. on NBC. The first three in each of six heats and the next six fastest times from Saturday's action advance to the semifinals.

Windle placed himself throughout the Ashland track and field record book, winning eight NCAA Division II national championships – six combined indoors and outdoors in the 800 run, one indoors in the 4x400 relay and one indoors in the distance medley relay.

He is a 15-time All-American, and still claims school records in the indoor 800 run (1:46.52), as part of the indoor 4x400 relay (3:09.38) and the indoor DMR (9:49.14) and the outdoor 800 run (1:46.91).

Windle was the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA)'s men's indoor track and field athlete of the year in both 2013 and 2014, the USTFCCCA's Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year in 2013-14, and was the Ashland male 2014-15 Student-Athlete of the Year.

 

 

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