Led by the dominating running of senior Dominique Scott, the University of Arkansas Razorbacks deployed strength across the board to total 63 points and win the NCAA indoor championships on their home track. Defending champs Oregon settled for runner-up honors with 46.5 points while Georgia was third with 37. Here’s a summary of the women’s distance races:
Mile: Michigan State’s O’Connor Takes Down Favorites
It took an NCAA championships record to win the women’s mile. Michigan State senior Leah O’Connor How to Estimate Your Lactate Threshold Pace Shelby Houlihan Marathon Pace Charts for Fine-Tuning Training Colleen Quigley of Florida State. The mark is the second-best in collegiate history, behind only Jenny Barringer Simpson’s 4:25.91 from 2009. Last spring’s NCAA steeplechase champion, O’Connor set a fast pace from the gun and never trailed, a tactic she knew was required to best big kickers like Houlihan. And even though she led by a second with a lap remaining, O’Connor actually closed better than anyone for a convincing win. Houlihan had to settle for second in a personal best of 4:28.71, with Quigley well back in third at 4:31.24.
3,000Health - Injuriesn
First, Scott anchored the Razorbacks’ victorious distance medley relay Friday evening. On Saturday, she won the 3,000m going away, and in so doing, picked up sufficient points to seal a first-ever team championship for Arkansas. Michigan State sophomore Rachele Schulist led for nearly two-thirds of the race at an honest pace, but shortly after 2200m, Scott moved by Schulist and never again trailed. Covering the final 800m in 2:14.68, Scott took an easy 8:55.19 to 8:58.88 win over Stanford freshman Elise Cranny. Emily Sisson of Providence had recovered sufficiently from the previous night’s 5,000m to edge Georgetown’s Katrina Coogan for third in a photo finish, 9:01.155 to 9:01.160.
5,000m: New Collegiate Record-Holder Sisson Cruises
Having paced herself to a collegiate record 15:12.22 at the Big East championships, Providence senior Emily Sisson was the big favorite here, and she did not disappoint. The pace never approached Sisson’s record run of last month, but she and Rachel Johnson of Baylor nevertheless separated from the field early to pass 1600m in 4:56.69. Those two continued out front over the next several laps, and by 3,000m (9:17.84) had 13 seconds on Sandie Raines (9:30.52) of Texas, who led the fading chase pack. Sisson sped up slightly after 3K and easily pulled away from Johnson. Sisson finished in 15:32.15, followed by Johnson in 15:40.35 and Wisconsin’s Sarah Disanza in 15:47.32. The freshman Disanza demonstrated the event’s best kick, as she covered the final 200m in 32.66 and passed three opponents.
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Arkansas and Stanford came into the meet with the No. 6 and No. 7 DMR seed times, but this race came down to a battle between the host Razorbacks and the Cardinal. Experience won the day as senior Scott powered over the final 300m of a fast 4:28.90 1600m leg to relegate Elise Cranny (4:31.50) and Stanford to the runner-up spot, 10:51.89 to 10:53.66. Michigan was well back in third at 10:58.64.
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