Zackula Shares Big Sky Crown After All

Ryan Zackula was right all along. Make that half-right, this being track and field.

The Eastern Washington University senior, whose jubilation had been derailed by a video replay, was vindicated late Saturday when his 800-meter finish with Weber State’s Rob Christensen was ruled a dead heat.

The reversal ultimately allowed both Zackula and Christensen to claim Big Sky Conference championships, but only after Zackula was made to suffer through the frustration of believing his late surge had gone for naught.

Zackula initially thought he had overcome Christensen with a late charge to win the race and claim the 800-meter championship outright, and the Woodward Stadium crowd concurred with an enthusiastic ovation. But Zackula’s excitement quickly turned to exasperation when the video replay official ruled Christensen the winner.

A protest was filed on Zackula’s behalf, but the running events referee concurred with the replay official’s ruling. The Spokesman-Review subsequently reported Christensen as the outright winner.

But the ruling wasn’t final, EWU sports information director Dave Cook said Sunday, and the appeal was ultimately upheld by the higher-ranking Games Committee.

, DataTimes