Eugene, Ore. On a windy Friday afternoon at Hayward Field, Mike Hardy forever wrote his name in the record books at Weber State. Hardy finished fifth in the final of the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a time of 8:43.51 and earned First Team All-American honors. He is the first Wildcat to achieve that since Brett Hales also placed fifth in the steeplechase in 2011. lt;br />"He followed the race plan that we had put together and I was happy with how he did," Associate head coach Paul Pilkington said. "He came into the meet with the ninth-fastest time in the country and beat of a lot of guys who had run faster then him. He showed a lot of experience and confidence in such a big stage." lt;br />In a race that featured two-time defending champion Anthony Rotich of Texas-El Paso and collegiate leader Stanley Kebenei of Arkansas. Hardy and Pilkington knew that he was going to have to run smart if he wanted to place in the top eight. lt;br />"It was really windy so our plan was to get up front and draft off other runners," Pilkington said. "With 800 (meters) left in the race, he was instructed to move up near the lead. " lt;br />With less than two laps to go, Hardy found himself in the front of the pack trying position himself for the final stretch. With one lap to go he and a handful of other runners separated themselves from the rest of the pack. Rotich pulled away for the victory but Hardy used his strength to finish ahead of Mark Parrish of Florida. lt;br />"He hurdled the last three water jumps and that helped him get seperation," Pilkington said. "He has a lot of strength and recovered better than some of the other runners who had qualified for the final. Having to race twice in three days didn't bother him and he could have went faster it was a calm day." lt;br />The NCAA Championships mark the end of the season for Hardy and the rest of the Wildcat track and field program. He finishes the season having run the 10th