Allie Ostrander got her first taste of professional cat & moose in the first preliminary race for the Women’s 3000M Steeplechase at the USA Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa on Friday afternoon.
Two of the nations best steeplechase runners positioned themselves for Sunday’s finals by finishing in the top five in each’s respective prelim and using a minimum of effort for the result.
Ostrander finished second overall with a time of 9:47.54 in the first race, behind Courtney Frerichs (2016 US olympic qualifier) who posted a time of 9:46.35. In the second heat Emma Coburn, (2016 Olympic bronze medalist) eased to the finish in 9:51.43 good for first in the heat.
Ostrander’s personal best of 9:31.44 was never the target on Friday as Ostrander also focused on qualifying to the finals over posting a top time.
Allie Ostrander will need a personal best (and then some) in the Women’s 3000M Steeplechase on Sunday, as she has the sixth fastest time of the season among qualifiers and will be chasing Frerichs (personal best of 9:00.85) , Coburn (personal best of 9:02.58) and Collen Quigley (personal best of 9:11.41).
(photo courtesy of Dyestat.com)
The USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships Women’s 3000M Steeplechase final is scheduled for Sunday, July 28 at 3:09 p.m. Alaska Time and will be broadcast on NBCSN.