Burton Fouls Out of NCAAs

Beth Burton of Cal State Northridge received a rocky initiation to the NCAA outdoor track and field championships Thursday at Hayward Field when she placed 19th in the women’s shotput.

Burton, a junior, earned All-American honors by placing eighth in the 20-pound weight throw in the NCAA indoor championships in March. But her 39-foot 2 1/2-inch put in her first NCAA outdoor competition was far short of her 52-3 1/4 school record.

“It just didn’t go well from start to finish,” Northridge assistant Candy Roberts said. “She slipped and almost fell on her first attempt and then she fouled on her next two.”

The top nine putters after the first three rounds were awarded three more throws, but Burton was more than 10 feet short of advancing.

“Her second and third throws were in the 50- to 51-foot range, but that still wouldn’t have advanced her to the finals,” Roberts said.

“I don’t know what happened,” Burton said. “I felt pretty good in warmups, but once I got into the ring in the competition, I don’t know. . . .”