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Frerichs and Miller Set to Compete for 'Roos at NCAA Championships
6/9/2015 1:18:00 PM | Track and Field
NCAA Championship Central
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(Kansas City, Mo.) -Courtney Frerichs and Bryce Miller will represent UMKC on the national stage this week when they compete in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
The competition will be covered on the ESPN family of networks, with both steeplechase semifinals available on ESPNU, the men's final on ESPN Friday night, and the women's final Saturday on ESPN2. All of the events will be available live via ESPN3.com and/or WatchESPN.com.
Both will compete in semifinal races with the top-5 from each heat and the next two fastest times advancing to the finals (12 total). Miller will compete on Wednesday at 6:38 p.m. CT, while Frerichs' semifinal will be on Thursday at 6:38 p.m. CT.
Frerichs (Nixa, Mo.) enters the week as the favorite to claim the national title, with the top seeded time in the nation (9:32.12), and third-fastest collegiate time in NCAA history. The junior won the West Regional on May 29 in Austin, Texas, in order to qualify for the NCAA Championships. The two others with the closest times are Colleen Quigley of Florida State (9:33.63) and defending NCAA champion Leah O'Connor of Michigan State (9:35.33). Frerichs won the last head-to-head meeting with Quigley at the Payton Jordan Invitational (Stanford) back on May 2.
Frerichs is looking to become the first national champion in any sport at UMKC, while if she earns All-American honors, it will be the fifth of her career, and second in this event (2013). Her seed time of 9:32.12 is ranked No. 12 in the world this year, and is the second-fastest time for an American (Stephanie Garcia, 9:27.92).
Miller (Ashland, Wisc.) enters with the 40th (of 40 qualifiers) best time in the nation (8:50.51), setting that mark in the NCAA West Regional meet on May 29 in Austin, where he took 12th. The mark broke his own school record. He is one of two WAC athletes in the event, with Utah Valley's Trac Norris also competing.
The favorite to win the title is Stanley Kebenei of Arkansas, who put up a time of 8:23.93 earlier in the year.
UMKC has scored meet points at the NCAA Championships on two occasions. In 2002 for the men, when Matt Voelker scored in the high jump (6th), and in 2013 for the women when Frerichs did it in the steeplechase (6th). No UMKC performer has finished higher than sixth in the outdoor championships.
Players Mentioned
