Paul Lyons finished strong in his junior season for the Sacramento State men’s track and field team, but it wasn’t quite good enough for him to make his first appearance in the NCAA Championships.

On May 30, the 2011 Manteca High graduate competed in the second day of the NCAA West Preliminary at the University of Texas and placed 10th in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.81 seconds — a mere 0.04 seconds shy of the final two qualifiers. In Day 1 he set a personal record in the event with a 13.74-second run, good for second place in his heat. The time ranks him second all-time in Sac State history, as he trails only former All-American Ronald Brookins (13.42, 2011).

It was an otherwise up-and-down campaign for Lyons, who red-shirted for the 2014 outdoor season after earning three Big Sky Conference championships as an underclassman. He won the 110 hurdles Big Sky title as a freshman, and claimed both the 110 and 400 hurdles his sophomore year.

This year he earlier eclipsed the 14-second barrier for the first time with a 13.99 mark on the opening day of the Big Sky Championships but settled for third in 14.70 in the finals. He was also 11th in the 400 hurdles.