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Kansas City
NCAA Championships (hosted by Oregon)
Frerichs Takes Second in Steeple, Earns Fifth Career All-American Honor
6/13/2015 5:56:00 PM | Track and Field
(Eugene, Ore.) - Junior Courtney Frerichs ran to a second-place finish in the 3,000 meter steeplechase on Saturday at the NCAA Track and Field Championships, posting a personal record time of 9:31.36.
As expected, it was the fastest NCAA steeplechase run this season, with 10 of the 12 runners setting personal-best marks.
Frerichs (Nixa, Mo.) bided her time in the fourth and fifth spots most of the race, but in the final 1,000 meters, she pulled even with defending champion Leah O'Connor of Michigan State on two occasions before falling back off. O'Conner led nearly the entire race, until the final lap, when eventual champion Colleen Quigley of Florida State overtook her. Frerichs was in third during most of the final lap, but passed O'Conner in the final straitaway to take second.
Quigley's winning time of 9:29.32 was the third-fastest time ever run in the NCAA, while it marked the fastest time this year among collegiate runners. It was also the 11th fastest time in the world this year. Frerichs time is now the fourth-fastest NCAA all-time, and currently 13th in the world this year among all runners.
It was the fifth All-American honor of Frerichs' career, and third this school year for her, also earning it in cross country, and in the indoor 5,000 meters in 2014-15.
The victory also placed UMKC 28th in the final national women's standings with eight points, ahead of many local teams, including both Kansas and Missouri.
It capped a banner year for UMKC, as it was the fifth All-American performance of the season (Sophomores Martez Harrison in basketball and Bryce Miller in the steeplechase). It was also the 10th All-American performance in UMKC Division I history, meaning half of the honors came in 2014-15.
Frerichs and Quigley are both juniors and from the state of Missouri, as Frerichs attended Nixa High School and Quigley went to Nerinx Hall High School.
Both will return next year as heavy favorites for the title, as well as have U.S. Olympic team hopes.
