Hampered by injury, Mitchell Pope took to the field on Saturday at the NCAA outdoor national championships in what was unavoidably his last event in a long and illustrious career at N.C. State.

Pope, a senior who had already set a Wolfpack record for the shot put earlier in the year, was suffering from an abdominal strain that hit him Tuesday in warm-ups.

Despite the pain, Pope threw for a distance of 64′ 9 3/4″. It was enough to place him at second behind Southern California’s Noah Bryant who won with a distance of 65’9″.

“That throw, it felt perfect,” Pope said. “I believe if I had been 100 percent, then that would have been a huge throw, and possibly would have won it.”

Only the top-five competitors in each event at the Regional championships were guaranteed a spot at last Saturday’s National Championships in Sacramento, Calif. The Pack had four other athletes compete in addition to Pope.

Both junior Julia Lucas and senior Wesley Smith made it to the finals in the 5,000-meter race on Friday. Lucas placed fourth for State with a time of 15:52.08, and Smith finished at 17th with a time of 14:27.20.

Also competing for the Pack was junior Dexter Adams at long jump and junior Tibor Vegh at the 3,000-meter Steeplechase. Both Adams and Vegh failed to advance past the trials on Wednesday and Thursday.

Pope and Lucas were recognized for their strong showings with All-American honors, the third All-American award for both Pack athletes. Pope had previously received two All-American awards in indoor season, and Lucas was named an All-American in the previous indoor and outdoor seasons.

While Pope is accustomed to success and accolades, he said his showing on Saturday was one of the really special performances of his career.

“This was definitely a thrill,” Pope said. “I was shaking when the meet was over, just because I got second. I mean I was really excited. It was my highest finish ever in the NCAA. I was even leading at one point in time, which was unbelievable for the moment that it lasted. It thrilled me.”

Only two other State throwers have ever finished as high as second place in the NCAA Championships, and no one has done it since 1980.

While Pope will be donning his Wolfpack uniform for the U.S. Nationals starting June 21, Saturday marked his last event as a thrower for State. Pope said it was sobering realizing his career was winding down.

“It was a sad moment,” Pope said. “I did good — it was a good way to go out, but I’m still going out.”