OSHKOSH, Wis. – Senior Matthew Zagura (Ellington, Conn.) placed 13th in the hammer throw Friday at the 34th Annual NCAA Division III Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship, hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.

Zagura’s first of three throws in the second flight was marked at 166-11 but left him a little more than a meter shy of qualifying for the finals. The top nine from the original field of 17 advanced to the final. Zagura’s second throw was marked at 164-8. His final attempt landed out of bounds.

As the top seed, University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse senior Kevin Becker won his second national title in three years with a mark of 198-10. Fifth-seeded Jake Basher of SUNY Brockport was second (196-1). Five individuals competed from New England institutions, with Bates College junior Noah Gauthier (181-10) the top finisher with a fifth-place finish.

Zagura, who was seeded 11th, unloaded his second-best throw of the season at the meet. His best toss this year (176- 7 ½ ) broke his own program record and qualified him for the national meet and came April 28 when he won the Little East Conference championship.

It was the second appearance at the national meet this year for Zagura, who had placed tenth in the 35-pound weight at the indoor meet in March at Terre Haute, IN.