Donavin races to third-place finish at nationals

COLUMBUS, Ohio - "The tough part is getting in."

Cornell College senior distance runner Kirkwood Donavin proved his coach Lonnie Speidel correct at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Capital University.

Donavin, seeded 10th out of 12 qualifiers in the men's mile, set a pair of records in posting the fastest clocking in Friday's prelims and carried momentum into Saturday's finals with a third-place all-America finish.

Donavin finished his finals race in 4 minutes, 15.43 seconds, placing ahead of four returning all-Americans in this weekend's field. He was only a few strides behind Fredonia SUNY's two-time defending champion Nick Guarino, who had a winning time of 4:14.23. Greg Whittle of Calvin took second in 4:15.06.

Donavin was .33 seconds ahead of fourth-place finisher Matt Turlip of New York University.

Donavin scored the program's highest individual finish at a national meet since 2005, when Lynn Schneider also placed third in the indoor shot put. Andy Stoecken was the last Cornell male athlete to place in the top three at nationals, taking third in the high jump in 2004.

Donavin set the tone for the weekend with a blazing 4:11.02 mark in Friday's preliminary heat, finishing more than two seconds ahead of his nearest competitor. He broke his own school record (4:13.06) and established a new record in the 10-year Capital Center Track. Donavin shattered the old arena mark of 4:19.14, set by James O'Brien of Ohio Northern in 2009.

Donavin is Cornell's 11th track and field all-American in coach Speidel's 11 seasons at the helm.